Thammasat University students interested in economics, Myanmar, ASEAN studies, history, political science, international affairs, and related subjects may find it useful to participate in a free 29 March Zoom webinar on The State of Myanmar’s Economy.
The event, on Wednesday, 29 March 2023 at 9am Bangkok time, is presented by ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore.
The TU Library collection includes several books about different aspects of the economy of Myanmar.
The event webpage explains:
About the Webinar
When 2021 dawned on Myanmar, the National League for Democracy (NLD) government was focusing on plans for pandemic relief and recovery, and seeking to increase the momentum of economic and financial reforms. While acknowledging that pursuing economic reform would present a challenge for the NLD administration amidst the pandemic, there was optimism about the Myanmar Economic Resilience and Reform Plan (MERRP)’s potential. After the coup on 1 February 2021, however, the state of Myanmar’s economy has seen a severe setback instead of the projected strong return for 2021-22.
ISEAS’ Myanmar Studies Programme invites Professor Sean Turnell to share his insights on the state of Myanmar’s economy since the 2021 coup, impact and implications of regional and international responses, the country’s overall economic trajectory for the foreseeable future, in particular the sectors most affected by events since February 2021, and the broader impact on the Myanmar people.
About the Speaker
Sean Turnell is a Nonresident Fellow at the Lowy Institute. He has been a Senior Economic Analyst at the Reserve Bank of Australia, a Professor of Economics at Macquarie University, and a policy adviser to several international institutions, including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. He served as special economic consultant to Myanmar’s National League for Democracy (NLD) government over 2016 to 2021. Sean was a visiting fellow at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute at the time of the February 2021 coup, when he was imprisoned alongside Myanmar’s democratic leadership. He was released and deported in November 2022 after 650 days of incarceration.
The TU Library collection includes books with published research by Professor Turnell.
Students are invited to register for the event at this link:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_1QvjXaWDSCesrjTz6yXW4Q
In January the website of the Voice of America, the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America, reported:
Australian Economist Says Myanmar Junta Has Revoked his Amnesty
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.
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.
(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)