REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has urged law enforcers to eradicate piracy in the creative industry by arresting the members of the piracy mafia in a bid to develop the industry in the country.

"I have ordered the Indonesian Police chief to handle the issue seriously," the president remarked here on Monday (18/5).

The president welcomed the representatives of the Indonesian Recording Industry Association (Asiri) and the Indonesian Song Creators and Singers Association at the State Palace in Jakarta.

Jokowi has urged the Police to arrest the members of the piracy mafia.

"We will not only arrest those selling pirated CDs on the streets and in stores but also the dealers who supply them to the street vendors and store owners," Jokowi affirmed.

The government will arrest the big players involved in piracy in the creative industry rather than solely taking action against pirated CD vendors operating on a smaller scale.

The president emphasized that the government will handle piracy in the creative industry on the similar lines as their approach to eradicating illegal fishing.

"There are seven thousand foreign vessels who conduct illegal fishing. Drugs kill 50 people on a daily basis, which is considered normal. But for me, it is not normal," Jokowi pointed out.

The president stated that Indonesia should also eradicate the oil and gas mafia. Jokowi urged the Police to investigate several criminal cases that are not considered normal, including those related to corruption.

The president said he has instructed the Police to work on the cases a week before.

"Illegal fishing vessels operated in Maluku as though it was a night market. I ordered to capture and sink them, and now, illegal fishing operations have stopped," Jokowi added.

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