Myanmar scholarship recipients must return home on completion of their studies in Australia, but senior academics say there is a risk they could be tortured if sent back.
"Awardees are required to leave Australia for a minimum of two years after completing their scholarship. Failure to do so will result in the awardee incurring a debt to the Commonwealth of Australia for the total accrued cost of their scholarship," the policy said.
"Even if these students were able to go back to Myanmar safely, the money that Australian taxpayers have spent on their education would be squandered," he said. Being forced to return to conflict-riddled Myanmar would be a risk for students, he said, many of whom have been outspoken in Australia. "Torture by Myanmar soldiers and special police is systemic and arbitrary. It is happening today," he said.
Among those arrested are the country's former de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, and her economic adviser, Australian economist Sean Turnell. "We get very anxious and nervous every time we are getting close to the end of the visa — we are not sure if it will be extended, or if we'll be asked to go back," he said.Many young people became guerilla fighters and joined the People's Defence Forces.but "inexplicably it declined to do the same for talented graduate students".
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