Durnell, an Australian-born economic adviser to Ung San Suu Kyi, told the BBC that he was arrested there after the military coup and is the first foreign national confirmed to have been arrested by the Burmese military government. (Photo taken from Sean Turnell’s Facebook page)
After the Burmese military staged a coup to arrest substantive leader Ung San Suu Kyi, Turnell, an Australian economic adviser to Ung San Suu Kyi, told the BBC today that he was also arrested there after the military coup.
The Burmese military arrested Aung San Suu Kyi and other top political figures from her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), on January 1 before taking over power.
Sean Turnell, a professor at Australia’s Macquarie University, is the first foreign national confirmed to have been arrested by the new junta.
Turnell told the BBC, “I am currently in custody and may face charges of some kind. I don’t know what it’s going to be. According to the report, Durnell said he was confined to his hotel.
He added, “Everyone is polite…but obviously I can’t walk around or engage in similar behavior.
AFP tried to speak with Durnell earlier today but contact failed.
Macquarie University noted that the university was aware of reports of Durnell’s arrest; it fully supports “his work in Burma and the efforts of the Australian government to secure his speedy release.
An unnamed senior member of the National League for Democracy alleged that Durnell had previously stopped working as an economic adviser to Ung San Suu Kyi.
People demonstrate in the streets of Yangon, Myanmar, on June 6.
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