KL tears down Spratly buildings

KL tears down Spratly buildings

MANILA (AP): Malaysia has dismantled structures its navy erected on a shoal claimed by the Philippines in the South China Sea's disputed Spratly Islands, the Department of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.

The structures were removed from the shoal earlier this month after Philippine Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon and Malaysian Foreign Minister Abdullah Haji Ahmad Badawi discussed the matter, a department statement said.

Internationally known as Investigator Shoal, the area is called "Pawikan" by the Philippines, which says it belongs to the Kalayaan Group of Islands, a cluster of islands, islets and shoals in the Spratly archipelago claimed by Manila.

The Spratlys, believed to be atop vast deposits of oil, natural gas and minerals, are claimed wholly or in part by Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.