MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine officials vowed Monday to remove a floating barrier placed by China's coast guard to prevent Filipino fishing boats from entering a disputed lagoon in the South China Sea.
They said the 300-meter (980-foot) -long barrier at the entrance to the lagoon at Scarborough Shoal is "illegal and illegitimate." Chinese coast guard vessels laid the barrier, held up by buoys, on Friday as a Philippine government fisheries vessel approached. More than 50 Philippine fishing boats were outside the shoal at the time, the Philippine coast guard said.
