Australia has responded to calls to help the people of Myanmar suffering under a brutal military junta, as the foreign minister calls for human rights abuses to stop.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced $9 million in aid for food, water and shelter on top of education and health services for the people of Myanmar.
She did so alongside Sean Turnell, who was a political prisoner of the junta for 650 days, as she launched his book about the situation in Myanmar in Canberra on Monday.
At least 5350 civilians had been killed and half the nation was living under the poverty line, primarily due to military violence since the 2021 coup, Senator Wong said.
“We are all appalled by the reports of widespread human rights abuses and atrocities,” she said at the launch in Canberra on Monday.
The aid will deliver essentials such as food, water and shelter as well as education and health services for the nation’s most vulnerable people, including women and girls.
Dr Turnell worked as an economic advisor to Myanmar’s democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi until her government was toppled by a military coup in 2021 and both were imprisoned.
His book, Best Laid Plans, outlines the radical economic reforms ushered in by her government that aimed to lay a foundation for democracy and were ended by the military coup.
Senator Wong reaffirmed Australia’s commitment to the people of Myanmar, thanking Dr Turnell for continuing to work for change.
“We must remain resolute in our support for the people of Myanmar,” the foreign minister said.
“They have demonstrated their courage and commitment to democracy in decades’ long struggles, with determined resilience in the face of the most horrific adversity.”
Dr Turnell and the United Nations special rapporteur on Myanmar Tom Andrews recently called for more sanctions against the junta, especially against a state-owned bank where transactions moved to after other banks were sanctioned.
Mr Andrews called for Canberra to use its diplomatic clout to spearhead a stronger international response and prosecute key military figures in Australia using universal jurisdiction that applies to war crimes.
Australia’s response to how it works to free political prisoners overseas is being reviewed by a parliamentary committee, with Cheng Lei and Kylie Moore-Gilbert – both of whom were wrongly imprisoned – also attending the book launch.
There had to be a balance between publicising cases through the media and minimising commentary to achieve a diplomatic solution, Senator Wong said.
Her engagement with Dr Turnell meant Australia was in a better position to manage “these complex and often highly distressing cases”.
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