Philippines lodges protest with KL

Philippines lodges protest with KL

MANILA (AFP): The Philippines lodged a protest with Kuala Lumpur on Friday over the construction of Malaysian structures on a South China Sea reef claimed by both countries, officials said.

Malaysian Ambassador to Manila Badruddin Rahman was summoned to the foreign office and was handed a note by Foreign Undersecretary Lauro Baja over the structures on Erica Reef in the Spratlys, Baja told reporters.

It asked Malaysia to "reconsider their actions in Gabriela Silang Reef", the Filipino name for Erica Reef, and to exercise self-restraint.

The protest followed an earlier note two months ago in which Manila took Kuala Lumpur to task for Malaysian structures erected on Investigator Shoal, near Erica Reef.