Man in a blue suit with a red tie speaking in front of multiple flags, conveying a message or announcement.

Man in a blue suit with a red tie speaking in front of multiple flags, conveying a message or announcement.
Adam Castillo in an interview via India Abroad

A former U.S. Marine officer and former head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar has been detained by Myanmar authorities.

Adam Castillo, who was traveling to Myanmar to promote his new book, “Finding Our Voice,” which critiques Myanmar’s Junta for human rights abuses, was detained as he re-entered the Southeast Asian nation.

The U.S. State Department has since been briefed on Castillo’s arrest but has not released a comment due to “privacy concerns.”

Per Reuters:

An American businessman who wrote a book about living through a military coup ‌in Myanmar was detained on his return to the Southeast Asian ‌nation on Thursday, according to two people briefed on the matter.

Adam Castillo, a former head ​of the American Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar who is based in Yangon where he runs a security firm, was stopped at an airport after traveling to the country, one of the people said.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said it was ‌aware of reports of ⁠the detention of an American in Myanmar but had no further comment “due to privacy concerns”.

A spokesperson for the military-backed government ⁠did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In July of last year, Castillo attended a meeting at Vice President JD Vance’s office to discuss U.S. relations with Myanmar.

In the meeting, Castillo suggested the United States “could play a peace-broker role in Myanmar and urged Washington to take a page out of China’s playbook by first brokering a bilateral self-governance deal between the Myanmar military and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

Castillo has been among several voices urging Washington to adopt strategic policies toward Myanmar, given the country’s status as the third-largest producer of rare earth minerals.

Bar chart illustrating the share of global rare earth production by country in 2023, highlighting China's dominant role at 68.57%.

Rare-earth minerals such as Dysprosium and Terbium are high-performance magnets used in iPhones, electric vehicles, and defense equipment, including fighter jets.

Currently, most of Myanmar’s rare-earth minerals are exported to China in their raw form.

China accounts for nearly 90% of the world’s rare earth processing capacity, according to the International Energy Agency.

Castillo has suggested that the United States begin working with Myanmar to reduce its reliance on Beijing for rare earth minerals, citing national security concerns.

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