Kuwait tells Philippines ambassador to leave, summons envoy from Manila

Kuwait has formally asked the Philippines ambassador to leave the country within a week and summoned its own envoy back from Manila, Al Arabiya said Wednesday. An official source at Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry said that it summoned on Friday the ambassador of the Philippines and handed him two protest notes. They are related to recent remarks of several Filipino officials which “entailed serious offences against Kuwait.” The Philippines on Tuesday formally apologized to Kuwait for actions the latter viewed as violation of its sovereignty after the southeast Asian nation’s embassy “rescued” several overseas workers from employers’ homes. Kuwait had protested over the “rescue” of Philippine citizens working as domestic help and arrested two embassy staff who were involved in Saturday’s incidents, according to the report.