JAKARTA: Indonesia yesterday detained 200 Malaysians found fishing illegally in its waters, as it moves to stem billions of dollars in economic losses, a senior government official told Reuters.
A crackdown on illegal fishing, which costs the vast archipelagic nation around $25bn a year, kicked off this week, Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto told Reuters in a rare interview.
The drive is likely to spark tension with countries in the region, as new President Joko Widodo adopts a more assertive stance on the maritime sector of Southeast Asia’s largest economy. “The president has said our maritime sector is in a state of emergency...so we need a new, bold approach and that’s why he’s declared a war on illegal fishing,” said Widjajanto, an expert on defence and
foreign affairs. Reuters
