KL investigates robbery of RP boat

KL investigates robbery of RP boat

MANILA (DPA): Malaysian authorities are investigating the captain and crew of a Malaysian navy vessel accused of robbing a Philippine fishing boat inside its own territorial waters, the Philippine armed forces chief-of-staff said yesterday.

"The Malaysian authorities have taken cognizance of what happened," said Gen. Arturo Enrile. He said that Kuala Lumpur had confirmed that a navy ship was "somewhere in the area" where the incident occurred.

A group of Filipino fishermen reported last month that armed Malaysian sailors boarded their vessel off Boaan island near the province of Tawi-Tawi in the southern Philippines on Aug. 20, and later took their valuables and other belongings before speeding off out of Philippine waters.

Enrile said it would be "difficult to know" whether the Malaysian navy ship had entered Philippine waters because it was patrolling the maritime border area between the two countries.