REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesia on Wednesday 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 25 billion USD 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.

"We are trying to send a clear message to our neighbours like Malaysia and China, which operate illegal ships in our territory, that this is not a normal situation for us."