Myanmar frees US businessman, Trump officials credited
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- Myanmar’s military-backed government freed US citizen Adam Castillo, detained since June after a business dispute, citing friendly bilateral relations with the US.
- The release was credited to efforts by the Trump administration and US non-profit Global Reach, which aids families of detained Americans.
- Castillo’s detention followed accusations of improper lobbying, seen as spurious, amid Myanmar’s ongoing political turmoil after the 2021 coup led by Min Aung Hlaing.
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WASHINGTON – Myanmar’s military-backed government on Sept 16 freed US citizen Adam Castillo, who had been detained since June following a business dispute, after what a group involved in securing his release said were efforts by the Trump administration.
Castillo, the former head of the American Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar, was deported from the South-east Asian country’s capital, Naypyitaw, after his release. The office of Myanmar’s President Min Aung Hlaing said on X that the move was taken “in consideration of the bilateral friendly relations” between Myanmar and the US.
US non-profit Global Reach, which works with the families of Americans detained overseas, said in a statement it had worked towards the release of Castillo, a former US Marine from California. The statement cited Castillo’s sister, Amanda Castillo, thanking the group, US President Donald Trump and US Vice-President J.D. Vance for working for his release.
The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Castillo was detained on June 11 at the airport in Myanmar’s commercial hub Yangon, where he ran a security firm, and accused of improperly using the chamber of commerce he led to conduct lobbying in Washington. His supporters say those charges were spurious and arose from a personal dispute with a Myanmar businessman.
Government seeks legitimacy
His release comes as Myanmar’s government is seeking international legitimacy. Min Aung Hlaing led a 2021 coup against elected leaders, including Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and brutally crushed protests against the coup before holding elections widely decried as a sham and installing himself as president this year.
The US maintains a raft of sanctions against Myanmar’s leaders and businesses that support them, but members of Trump’s administration have expressed a willingness to speak to all parties in the bloody civil conflict in Myanmar stemming from the coup.
“We are thrilled to see Adam coming home and are grateful for the collaboration and efforts from the Trump Administration. Members of the Trump Administration have been working quietly behind the scenes to secure Adam’s release,” Global Reach chief executive Mickey Bergman said in a statement.
Bergman previously worked on the release of another American, journalist Danny Fenster, who was detained in Myanmar in 2021 and freed after negotiations with the junta.
Castillo – who founded and chaired the Myanmar chapter of Republicans Overseas, according to Global Reach – held a meeting in 2025 with officials in Vance’s office about potential US involvement in mining rare earths in Myanmar. He was detained shortly after publishing a memoir about his experiences during Myanmar’s military coup. REUTERS