The Defence Ministry is stepping up measures to protect its land from intruders.

In a statement today, the ministry said that as of May 29, it had identified 16 locations where encroachments occurred – in Perlis, Kedah, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Negri Sembilan, Sabah, and Sarawak.

It added that this poses a safety threat to intruders when soldiers conduct operations in the area.

Those who encroached onto the land, it said, had conducted various activities there, including building squatter homes, houses of worship and other structures, farming and illegal logging.

The ministry owns over 470,000 hectares of land nationwide, which it uses for army camps, target practice fields and personnel housing.

According to the statement, Putrajaya had also suffered financial losses as a result of these encroachments, as it cannot collect revenue from illegally developed land.

The ministry added the government was having difficulty in chasing away these intruders.

Among the measures being taken to address the problem include putting up fencing around the plots of land, erecting warning signboards, creating a leasing agreement (subject to the army's development plan) and applying for court orders to compel the intruders to vacate the land.

The ministry added, however, that those who would like to rent federal land can file an application with the Lands and Mines Department.