Image source: hindustantimes.com
Australia has demanded Myanmar immediately release an Australian adviser to Aung San Suu Kyi’s government who was detained in a military coup, an official said on Monday.
Economic policy adviser Sean Turnell had told friends via social media that he was detained but he has been out of contact in recent days.
“We have called for the immediate release of Australian citizen Prof. Sean Turnell from detention,” Foreign Minister Marise Payne said.
The Australian Embassy in Myanmar had been providing Turnell with “extensive support during this ordeal,” she said.
Turnell’s friend and fellow Myanmar expert Monique Skidmore said she believed the Macquarie University economics professor had been detained because of his close relationships with ousted leader Suu Kyi and other senior members of her National League for Democracy party.