Professor Sean Turnell, who was released from prison in military-ruled Myanmar last week, has thanked everyone who helped bring him home.
Key points:
- Professor Sean Turnell thanked the Australian government and those who supported him
- He was in Myanmar working as an advisor to Aung San Suu Kyi
- The Sydney economist spent 650 days in custody
In a lengthy Facebook post, Professor Turnell said he was “especially thankful” to the Australian government and people who he knew “even in the darkest hours, always had my back”.
He said he was also grateful for the support of his family, friends, academic colleagues, and named many of them in the post.
“My debts are so vast to so many of you that the fiscal state of the world is but a trifle,” Professor Turnell wrote.
“I’ll be contacting you, my dear creditors, ASAP – but thanks for your patience in the meantime.”
The Sydney economist was detained in Yangon five days after Myanmar’s military junta seized power in a coup on February 1 last year.
The 58-year-old was in Myanmar working as an economic advisor to the now-deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains in custody.
In September of this year he was sentenced to three years in jail for violating the official state secrets act — an accusation he always denied.
His trial was closed to Australian consular officials and the media, and was dismissed as a “sham” by human rights groups.
Professor Turnell was released from Yangon’s notorious Insein Prison last Thursday as part of an amnesty for almost 6,000 prisoners to mark Myanmar National Day.
His release also came after an extensive behind-the-scenes campaign by Foreign Minister Penny Wong, her predecessor Marise Payne, and Australian diplomats.
The economist had spent a total of 650 days in custody.
‘People in Myanmar continue to suffer’
In his Facebook post, Professor Turnell also criticised the military junta and paid tribute to the people of Myanmar who he said have been suffering under its rule since the coup.
“I am, of course, acutely aware that as I experience the joy of my reunion with my wife Ha and all my family, the 53 million people in Myanmar continue to suffer under a regime that is about as unrepresentative of them as is possible to imagine,” he wrote.
“It is a tragic and terrible thing that the nicest people I have encountered anywhere are ruled over by such knaves and fools.”
After listing many of the people he was thankful to, he added, “you might notice few Burmese names so far, and this sums up so much — I am terrified of identifying you and putting you in danger.”
At the end of Professor Turnell’s post he thanked the media, and indicated he would speak more about his experiences in due course.
The final word was about the beard he had grown while incarcerated: “This very day it’s going!!!” he wrote.
ABC
