Friends of Sean Turnell, the Australian academic detained in Myanmar, say they’re concerned for his safety

The last time Tim Harcourt spoke to his friend Sean Turnell he urged him to get out of Myanmar as soon as possible, just after a military coup had overthrown the country’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

“Look mate, you’ve got to get out of there,” Mr Harcourt told his friend.

Professor Turnell, who is the Australian economic adviser to Ms Suu Kyi, was detained shortly after.

It was the first known arrest of a foreign national in Myanmar since the coup, which was staged by generals who alleged there was fraud in a…