India, June 11 -- An American diplomat was found dead in Myanmar's largest city, the US State Department said, and members of the diplomatic community in Yangon say a Thai woman has been detained by police in connection with the investigation.

American officials in Thailand and the US Embassy in Myanmar referred questions on the case to the State Department, which confirmed the "death of a US government employee" assigned to the embassy in Yangon but gave no other details.

"Out of respect for the privacy of the family and loved ones, we have no further information to provide at this time," the State Department said in an e-mailed reply to questions from The Associated Press.

According to three people in the diplomatic community in Myan...