Wife's joy at Turnell's Myanmar release

He was arrested in early 2021 after Myanmar's military junta seized power and was sentenced to three years' jail in September for "violating the country's official state secrets act".

Prof Turnell's wife, Ha Vu, said on Friday she was thankful to all of those who had advocated for his release, including Foreign Minister Penny Wong and others in the Australian government.

"I am overwhelmed with joy at the news that my beloved husband, Sean, is coming home," she said in a statement.

"After nearly 22 months apart, our priority right now is to spend time together as a family."

Prof Turnell was freed earlier on Thursday under an amnesty covering close to 6000 prisoners to celebrate Myanmar's National Victory Day.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is in Bangkok for the APEC summit, spoke to the 58-year-old over the phone and said he was in "amazingly good spirits". 

Prof Turnell, who lives in Mr Albanese's electorate, was even making jokes and apologised for not voting in the election. 

Mr Albanese reassured him that he would not be fined. 

Prof Turnell also told Mr Albanese "people have been wonderful" and wanted to thank Australians for their support. 

"He's a remarkable man and he was (in Myanmar) doing his job as an economic policy adviser. Nothing more, nothing less," Mr Albanese told reporters.

"He's a proud Australian and today I think we should all be proud of him."

Prof Turnell told Mr Albanese while he had been in prison, the Australian embassy in Myanmar would drop off food hampers in tote bags emblazoned with the Australian crest.

"He would put the tote bags where the bars were on the cell ... so both he and the guards who were detaining him could see the Australian crest and he could keep that optimism," Mr Albanese said.

"The Australian crest, of course, with the kangaroo and emu that don't go backwards." 

The prime minister thanked leaders of ASEAN nations for their advocacy and asked for Prof Turnell's privacy to be respected upon his return home.

The Australian chargés d'affaires is travelling with Prof Turnell, who was provided with health support when he arrived in Bangkok.

Prof Turnell was working as an adviser to ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi when he was arrested in 2021 after the military seized power in a coup.

He has continuously denied he committed any crime and Australian officials and media were locked out of his trial.

Amnesty International Australia director Tim O'Connor said Myanmar's military rule had repeatedly jailed innocent people.

Prof Turnell was one of four international prisoners freed on Thursday, including Japanese filmmaker Toru Kubota, ex-British diplomat Vicky Bowman and American Kyaw Htay Oo.

ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights said it was important to remember thousands of political prisoners remained in the country's jails.

Prof Turnell holds an honorary position at Sydney's Macquarie University.