US secures release of detained citizen Adam Castillo in Myanmar

The United States State Department has helped to secure the release of Adam Castillo, a US citizen detained in Myanmar for three months.

A delegation of US officials travelled to ⁠Myanmar’s capital, Naypyidaw, last week to speak with local officials about his case, the State Department said on Thursday.

Myanmar state media reported that Castillo, 40, was flown out of the capital “in consideration of the friendly relations between Myanmar and the United States”. State media said he had been charged with breach of trust allegations, and that he had violated the regulations of the American Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar, a business group for which he served as president.

Castillo was released into the custody of US officials and then flew to Bangkok, Thailand.

“We are thrilled to see Adam coming home and are grateful for the collaboration and efforts from the Trump administration,” said Mickey Bergman, CEO of Global Reach, a Washington-based nonprofit that helped Castillo’s family advocate for his release, referring to US President Donald Trump.

“I can’t wait to welcome my brother home, but I know it will be bittersweet for him,” said his sister Amanda Castillo in a statement. “He had such great hopes for enhanced US/Myanmar relations, and he holds the deepest respect for the Burmese people, among whom he lived for many years.”

The former US Marine, who was a founder and owner of the security risk management firm AGS Myanmar, was detained at Yangon International Airport on June 11 after returning from Malaysia.

The arrest came after the American Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar accused him of financial impropriety, which he denies. At the time, Myanmar authorities would only say he had been arrested because “there was a crime and a lawsuit”, but did not provide further details.