The Myanmar Earthquake: Compounding (Economic) Crisis

May 15, 2025, 4 – 5:15 PM (HST)

MYANMAR STUDIES PROGRAMME

About the Webinar

The ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute Myanmar Studies Programme invites Professor Sean Turnell to share his assessment of Myanmar’s economy in 2025 after the devastating earthquake that struck central Myanmar in March. The earthquake’s economic impact, which is still unfolding, threatens to compound existing challenges. Uncertainties about the costs of recovery and reconstruction add to concerns over the continuity of interest in and limitations of international responses for Myanmar’s escalating needs.

About the Speaker

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 Professor of Economics at Macquarie University, and a policy adviser to several international institutions, including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. He served as special economic consultant to Myanmar’s National League for Democracy (NLD) government from 2016 to 2021. Sean was a visiting fellow with ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute at the time of the 2021 coup, when he was imprisoned alongside Myanmar’s elected leadership. He was released and deported in November 2022. Sean has authored three books on Myanmar: Fiery Dragons (2009) detailing Myanmar’s monetary and financial history, An Unlikely Prisoner (2023) sharing his experience of imprisonment, and The Best Laid Plans (2024) discussing the NLD’s economic reforms.

Registration

This webinar will be delivered online entirely. You can join the webinar at the specified date and time using devices (computer, phone, or tablet) with internet connection.

Please register here to receive your unique link for joining the webinar.