China's Foreign Ministry has confirmed that US citizen Min Zin has been placed under criminal detention on suspicion of espionage endangering national security.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Friday that Min Zin has been placed under criminal detention by the relevant authorities in accordance with the law. Lin Jian did not give further details of charges against Min Zin, but added that the US Consulate in Guangzhou had been notified.
The New York Times first reported the arrest of Min Zin on Thursday, citing unnamed sources. The report said Min Zin was arrested at Kunming Airport on 3 June while attending a meeting.
Min Zin is executive director at the Myanmar Institute for Strategic and Policy Studies in Thailand and a PhD student at the University of California, Berkeley. He was a student activist during Myanmar's 1988 pro-democracy movement.
