‘No Leverage’ With Burma Military Junta, Former Foreign Minister Says

‘No Leverage’ With Burma Military Junta, Former Foreign Minister Says
Police in riot gear march to take a position to block demonstrators at an intersection during a protest in Mandalay, Burma, on Feb. 9, 2021. AP Photo
Rebecca Zhu
Updated:

Following the arrest of an Australian advisor to Aung San Suu Kyi by the Burma (also known as Myanmar) military junta, former foreign minister Alexander Downer believes there is little the Australian government can do to secure his release.

Sean Turnell, a professor of economics from Macquarie University in Sydney, was the first foreign national confirmed arrested after the military coup occurred on Feb.1.