Kuwait-Philippines row sends ambassadors home

KUWAIT CITY (AA) - Kuwait on Wednesday asked the Philippines' ambassador to leave the country within a week and recalled its ambassador to Manila for consultations.

According to Kuwaiti news agency KUNA, this came against the background of the discovery of a Philippines Embassy staffer "encouraging Filipino domestic workers to flee employers' households."

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it had informed the Philippines ambassador that he was persona non grata and asked him to leave the country within a week.

The ministry also said it had recalled the Kuwaiti ambassador to the Philippines for consultations.

A recent video circulated on social media purports to show a Philippines Embassy staffer smuggling domestic workers from Kuwaiti homes into vehicles bearing diplomatic plates.

This caused a diplomatic crisis between the two countries, which prompted Kuwaiti MPs to demand the expulsion of Manila's ambassador.