The Myanmar junta has revoked its pardon of Australian economist Sean Turnell, who was granted amnesty and deported last November.
The decision appeared in an unpublicized announcement dated December 6 which was leaked on social media recently.
“Unfortunately, this is not fake … the junta has revoked my amnesty, and requested my arrest,” Turnell confirmed to VOA’s Burmese Service via text.
Turnell, who's based in Australia, which has no extradition treaty with Myanmar, said he understands his name has been submitted to Interpol.
“It is risky for me to travel to Asia now,” he said.
Claims of 'false statements'
Turnell, a former economic adviser to ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, was arrested following the military coup in February 2021 that brought the junta to power.
The announcement said Turnell’s pardon was revoked because he had violated the terms of his “probation,” and that he “would have to serve the remaining prison terms together with the new prison sentences if he commits an offense again.”
The announcement also said that the economist “made false statements about Myanmar via his social media accounts and in interviews with the media while he was still on probation.”
VOA reached out to the junta’s spokesperson but did not get a response, nor was any official comment made public as of this report.
After being detained in Yangon’s Insein prison for several months, Turnell was moved to another prison in Naypyitaw where he faced trial with Suu Kyi. The court sentenced him to three years’ imprisonment with a charge of possessing “state secret” information in September.
Turnell was released in November when the junta issued a mass amnesty, saying he was freed “in consideration of bilateral relations and on humanitarian grounds.”
Tun Kyi, one of the founders of the Former Political Prisoners Society, told VOA that the revocation of Turnell's amnesty is proof that the junta’s words do not match their deeds.
“Myanmar people welcome Sean Turnell’s disclosure of the truth from his own horrifying experience in prison and interrogation centers where he witnessed grave human rights violations by authorities,” he said. “Everything he said was true. The news of Sean Turnell receiving international media attention likely caused concern among the Myanmar military leadership due to their desire to keep these types of abuses out of the public eye.”
A Muslim, Tun Kyi spent a combined 10 years in prison, first from 1989 to 1996, and then from 2006 to 2009. His organization, based inside Myanmar, which is also known as Burma, assists former political prisoners and collects data on human rights violations in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.
Joy overshadowed by concern
Once back in his native Australia, Turnell took to Facebook to express his thanks to the government and fellow citizens. His joy was overshadowed, however, by his awareness that some “53 million people in Myanmar continue to suffer under a regime that is about as unrepresentative of them as is possible to imagine.”
In interviews given after his return, Turnell expressed his concerns about the severe damage to Myanmar’s economy caused by the military regime and warned that the ruling generals will not easily relinquish power.
He also described the inhumane treatment he and other political detainees experienced in prison. Turnell encountered his long-time colleague and friend, Suu Kyi, during the trial process, and she urged him to tell the world about what was happening inside Myanmar.
It was a rare message from Suu Kyi, who has been effectively silenced since the junta cut off any communication between her lawyers and the media in the months after the coup.
Turnell worked closely with Suu Kyi before her arrest, Tun Kyi said. “If you look at how much contempt they have for Aung San Suu Kyi, who was sentenced to 33 years in prison, you can imagine how much scorn they have for Sean Turnell as well,” Tun Kyi said.
That is why the junta labeled Turnell, “as an enemy, underserving of any respect or dignity,” Tun Kyi told VOA.
This story originated in VOA's Burmese Service
