CANBERRA EVENT: Best Laid Plans -The Inside Story of Reform in Aung San Suu Kyi’s Myanmar

Join us for a conversation with Sean Turnell about Best Laid Plans, a unique first-hand account of the radical reforms implemented in Myanmar under the ill-fated civilian government of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. These reforms, designed both to turn around Myanmar’s dire economy and lay the economic foundations for democracy, were brought to a dramatic end following the military coup in February 2021. Sean Turnell was one of Suu Kyi’s key economic advisers who was imprisoned alongside her in the wake of the coup.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Penny Wong, will launch the book, after which Sean Turnell will make opening remarks before being joined on stage by the Lowy Institute’s Sam Roggeveen for questions, including from the audience.

Dr Sean Turnell is a Senior Fellow in the Southeast Asia Program at the Lowy Institute. He has been a Senior Economic Analyst at the Reserve Bank of Australia, a policy adviser to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and is a Professor of Economics at Macquarie University. From 2016 to 2021, he served as the senior economic adviser to Myanmar’s democratic government, led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Sam Roggeveen is Director of the International Security Program at the Lowy Institute and was the editor of Best Laid Plans.

*Tickets include refreshments and a signed copy of the book*