Malaysia warns U.S., Australia against spy activities

Malaysia has warned the United States and Australia against the alleged espionage activities in their embassies in Kuala Lumpur, local media reported Saturday.

Foreign Minister Anifah Aman raised the matter to his Australian counterpart Julie Bishop in Perth Friday on the sidelines of the 13th Ministers of Indian Ocean Rim-Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) meeting, according to the state news agency Bernama.

The media reports on alleged Australian spying activities in Malaysia have caused considerable anger amongst the Malaysian public, Anifah said, warning that such activities could severely damage existing relations.

The Foreign Ministry on Friday summoned the U.S. ambassador and the Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia to hand over protest notes on their alleged spying activities in Kuala Lumpur following the reports, Bernama reported.