Key Points
- Economist Sean Turnell is back in Australia after being freed from a Myanmar prison.
- Professor Turnell was behind bars for 650 days.
- He had been sentenced to three years in jail for violating official secrets and immigration laws.
Australian economist Sean Turnell has landed in Melbourne after spending almost two years in a Myanmar jail, praising the efforts of those who helped free him.
Professor Turnell's flight touched down on Friday morning at Melbourne Airport, where he was reunited with his wife Ha Vu.
"I appreciate the efforts of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Australian government, and thank the whole community of Australia for their support," he said.
"I still love the people of Myanmar."
His wife Ha Vu took to Facebook to share a picture of the pair with the words "He is here".
was arrested by Myanmar's junta in 2021 while working as an advisor to ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
He was sentenced to three years in jail for violating official secrets and immigration laws, but was freed on Thursday after spending 650 days behind bars.
Earlier Ms Vu said she was overwhelmed with joy that her beloved husband was coming home and grateful to everyone who had advocated for and assisted in his release.
"After nearly 22 months apart, our priority right now is to spend time together as a family," she said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he had spoken to Professor Turnell on the phone following the 58-year-old's release.
"He was in really, really good spirits. He was making jokes," he told reporters when he arrived in Bangkok on Thursday night for the APEC summit.
"He is from my electorate and apologised for not voting at the election. I assured him he wouldn't be fined and that it was understandable."
Mr Albanese said Professor Turnell had faced difficulties behind bars.
"He went through a hard time," Mr Albanese said.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong posted a photo on social media of Professor Turnell, thanking all those who worked for his release, including those inside the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Mr Albanese had advocated for Professor Turnell to be released during his trip to the ASEAN summit in Cambodia last week, describing his incarceration as "unfair, unjust imprisonment".
"I do want to thank, as well, our ASEAN friends, in particular, Prime Minister Hun Sen of Cambodia who has chaired ASEAN and has kept the pressure on," he said.
"Our friends here in Thailand as well, including the prime minister."
Professor Turnell's release was announced on state television on Thursday, as part of an amnesty on Myanmar's national day that also included Britain's former ambassador Vicky Bowman and Japanese film-maker Toru Kubota.
Almost 6,000 people were freed, including hundreds of people that were characterised as political prisoners.
Sean Turnell was released as part of an amnesty on Myanmar's national day. Source: AP / MRTV
"He [Turnell] would put the tote bags at where the bars were on the cell in which he was being detained so that both he could see, and the guards who were detaining him could see, the Australian crest so that he could keep that optimism," he said.
Mr Albanese would not be drawn on whether the Australian government would revisit imposing sanctions on Myanmar, something it has so far resisted partly because of efforts to secure Professor Turnell's freedom.
- with AAP
