Friend: 2 Australian agriculture consultants held in Myanmar
2 min read An Australian couple working as agriculture growth consultants in Myanmar are being detained at their residence after the girl was not allowed to depart the nation, a good friend stated on Monday.
Christa Avery was refused permission to board a flight to Australia on Friday and he or she and her husband Matt O’Kane have been detained at their Yangon residence since then, stated their Sydney-based good friend Tim Harcourt, a University of New South Wales economist.
Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade stated in an announcement it was “providing consular assistance to two Australians in Myanmar,” however would supply no additional particulars.
The couple have been pals with Australian Economic Policy Adviser Sean Turnell, who has been in detention since early February, Harcourt stated.
Turnell was detained inside weeks of arriving in Yangon from Australia to take up a job as adviser to Aung San Suu Kyi’s authorities, which was ousted in a army coup Feb. 1.
Australia has repeatedly demanded Turnell’s launch. Two weeks in the past, the Australian authorities introduced it had suspended its protection cooperation with Myanmar and was redirecting humanitarian support due to the army takeover and Turnell’s ongoing detention.
Harcourt didn’t assume the couple had been detained due to their friendship with Turnell.
“They both work in areas where there’s a lot of foreign aid money coming into Myanmar,” Harcourt stated, referring to Turnell and the couple.
“Maybe the junta’s trying to trace where the foreign money is coming in because most foreign aid has now dried up because they (donors) don’t want to support the military,” Harcourt added.
Avery, who was born in Canada and is a twin citizen, left Sydney a decade in the past to work in Myanmar, Harcourt stated.
The Australian group in Myanmar was small and “pretty friendly with each other,” so it was common that the couple can be pals with Turnell.
“They’re in home detention so it’s not quite as bad as Sean because they took him away,” stated Harcourt, who can also be Turnell’s good friend.
“I’m just hoping they can stay in home detention and wait it out. It might blow over,” he added.
Avery didn’t instantly reply to an e-mail from The Associated Press on Monday.
