BANGKOK: Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has thanked the 2022 ASEAN Chair and all ASEAN member states for urging the Myanmar military government to release Australian Professor, Sean Turnell, who was one of the prisoners released this week.

Speaking at a press conference in Bangkok on Thursday, 17 November, Prime Minister Albanese said, "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. Our friends here in Thailand as well, including the Prime Minister. But other friends in ASEAN, who've been so consistent about the need to release Professor Turnell."

Myanmar state media reported on Thursday that its military leaders had granted amnesty to Sean Turnell, Australian economist and former pro-democracy adviser of Aung San Suu Kyi, along with nearly 6,000 other prisoners, in order to celebrate a national holiday.

Former British envoy Vicky Bowman and her husband were among those released, along with American Kyaw Htay Oo and Japanese filmmaker Toru Kubota.