KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 — Local residents of an island in North Kalimantan have claimed that Malaysians may have encroached on Indonesian territory by erecting a structure within the republic’s borders.

Indonesian news portal Kompas reported that residents of Kayu Mati Island — which is shared by both countries — claimed to have seen a new post built by Malaysians in an area that they believe falls within Indonesian territory.

Local leader Imam Basran was quoted as saying that he was sure it was a new structure, claiming that he had frequented the area over the past four decades.

“I have seen the border stakes since the early sixties and I was here in 1957,” he said.

Provincial legislative council representative Niko Hartono urged the Indonesian authorities to check with their Malaysian counterparts to make sure the structure did not encroach into Indonesian territory.

Border encroachment is a common issue between the two neighbours, with the latest case being several Malaysian fishing vessels and Malaysian nationals detained in Indonesian waters for alleged illegal fishing.

In early December last year, Indonesian President Joko Widodo adopted a stricter maritime policy — which includes “shock therapy” sinkings — in a bid to combat illegal fishing in the republic’s vast seas, which account for two-thirds of Indonesia’s territory.

The new policy was part of efforts to protect Indonesia’s resource-rich waters, which are encroached by an estimated 5,400 foreign vessels daily — the majority of which are illegal, Widodo stressed.