BANGKOK — The former president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar, Adam Castillo, was detained Thursday at Yangon International Airport after returning to the country, as the chamber investigates suspicious financial transactions by former board members, according to an associate who spoke on condition of anonymity citing safety concerns.
Castillo, a founder and owner of the security risk management firm AGS Myanmar, served as chamber president from 2023 to 2025. His company told The Associated Press the matter was “ongoing” and declined to comment further. Castillo did not respond to an email sent through his personal website.
The U.S. State Department said it was aware of reports that an American had been detained in Myanmar but could not comment further “due to privacy considerations.”
Myanmar’s military-backed government has not issued any official statement. Authorities in the country, which has been wracked by civil war since the military ousted democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a 2021 coup, rarely speak to international media. The government, the Yangon regional government office and the Yangon Regional Police Department did not answer requests for comment.
Several outlets close to the military, including NP News, reported that Castillo had been arrested after the American Chamber of Commerce filed a complaint against him.
Asked about the complaint, the chamber’s executive director, Myat Phyu The, declined to provide details but said the organization’s May 29 annual report “covers the issue at hand.” The chamber promotes American business interests in Myanmar.
The annual report says the current board last year uncovered suspect transactions “undertaken by former board representatives” and referred the matter to a law firm for review. Investigators found that “a former board representative” had signed a contract in November 2024 with a Washington-based public relations firm, which paid him $300,000 that was “apparently collected and disbursed outside AMCHAM Myanmar’s accounts.”
“The signature exceeded the signing limits of individual board representatives, the board never approved the agreement,” the report states. “AMCHAM Myanmar received no funds, made no payments, and received no services, and the matter was not disclosed to the statutory auditors.”
The report mentions that “two former members of the board” were involved but does not identify either by name or specify what legal action the organization has taken. Myat Phyu The would not elaborate.
A June 12 statement on the organization’s website said the board “has taken appropriate steps to safeguard the interests of the organization and its members.”
Since the military’s 2021 takeover, Myanmar has seen a rise in reported detentions of foreigners, particularly foreign journalists covering the political crisis.
Castillo’s company biography identifies him as a former U.S. Marine officer who served in Afghanistan and as current chair of “Republican Overseas Myanmar,” which it says was established in 2024 to promote “America First policies in Myanmar and across the region.”
AGS Myanmar, founded in 2013, provides security risk management as well as commercial cleaning and pest control services, according to its website.
It was not immediately clear where Castillo had traveled before returning to Myanmar and being detained. Posts on his Instagram account show that a day before his arrest he attended a business forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he also promoted a recently released memoir. His book, “Finding Our Voice,” recounts his experiences in Myanmar amid political turmoil, violence and economic collapse following the army takeover, according to its synopsis. It was not clear whether the book played any role in his detention.