MANILA, Sep 25 (AFP) - The Philippine Coast Guard said Monday it removed a floating barrier at a disputed reef that was allegedly deployed to stop Filipinos accessing the traditional fishing ground.
The statement was issued hours after Philippine National Security Adviser Eduardo Ano vowed to take "all appropriate actions" for the removal of barriers installed by the Chinese coast guard at Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.
A 300-metre (328-yard) floating barrier was found across the entrance of the shoal last week during a routine government resupply mission to Filipino fishermen plying the waters near the Chinese-controlled reef.
It was not clear from the Philippine statement if the entire barrier had been removed.
A video released by the Philippine Coast Guard showed a man wearing a mask, snorkel and fins using a knife to sever a rope attached to white buoys.
Another video showed an anchor being hauled from the water into a wooden outrigger boat.
The coast guard announced it had "successfully" removed the barrier "in compliance with presidential instruction".
"The barrier posed a hazard to navigation, a clear violation of international law," it added.
China, which seized Scarborough Shoal from the Philippines in 2012, deploys coast guard and other vessels to patrol the fishing ground.
The floating barrier prevented fishing boats from entering the shoal's shallow waters where fish are more abundant.
Philippine officials previously accused the Chinese coast guard of installing the barrier before the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources ship arrived at the shoal last Wednesday.
Several media outlets, including AFP, were on board the BRP Datu Bankaw and saw the barrier.
"We will take all appropriate actions to cause the removal of the barriers and to protect the rights of our fishermen in the area," Ano said in a statement Monday.
Ano said the Philippines condemns the installation of barriers, arguing it "violates the traditional fishing rights of our fishermen whose rights... have been affirmed by the 2016 Arbitral ruling".
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin hit back Monday, saying Scarborough Shoal was "an inherent part of China" and China had "indisputable sovereignty over it and its surrounding waters".
