The family of Australian economist Sean Turnell say they are distraught following his .
Dr Turnell, a well known economic scholar, had worked as an advisor to Myanmar's democratically-elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi until her government was overthrown by the military last week.
He was taken into custody days after Ms Suu Kyi's arrest in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw, while he was in the middle of an interview with the BBC.
In a statement on Facebook, his wife, Ha Vu, described Dr Turnell as a dedicated family man, warm, kind-hearted and generous.
"[He] always thinks about others before himself," she said. "Even now, wherever he is confined, we know that his thoughts and concerns are with those worrying about him."
Demonstrators holding placards showing detained democratically-elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi, during a protest against the military coup in Myanmar. Source: EPA
She also said her husband was a "voracious" reader who had always "shown a thirst for knowledge".
"He is a practical economist who has and will always use his expertise and experience for a good cause," she continued.
"Myanmar is a country with which he has fallen in love, and through working on and for it for more decades, he brought jobs, investment, and hope to many of the poorest people there without thought of reward or concern for his own advantage."
The Australian government on Monday said they were waiting for more information from Australia's ambassadors in Myanmar as they called for Mr Turnell's release.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne said she had raised the incident with Myanmar's ambassador to Australia and she would "continue to do that and press strongly for Professor Turnell's release".
"I don't think it is helpful to go into the precise details of the circumstances, particularly third hand from me, but certainly we were endeavouring to provide that support to him and to a number of others," she said.
Dr Turnell had lived in Naypyidaw since 2017 and is the director of the Myanmar Development Institute.
Prior to his detention, Dr Turnell tweeted that he was safe but "heartbroken" over what the coup meant for the people of Myanmar.
"The bravest, kindest people I know. They deserve so much better," he wrote.
The military seized control of the country on 1 February citing claims of widespread fraud in the recent general election, won by Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party.
Military commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing has declared a year-long state of emergency but tens of thousands of demonstrators have defied orders and taken to streets to protest the removal of Ms Suu Kyi.
The democratically-elected leader is being held under house arrest and was formally charged after .
