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IN INDONESIAN President Joko Widodo’s tour to cool down recent political tensions, the destinations vary, as do the people he meets with, from political, security and religious leaders to bankers and businesspeople.
On Thursday, the president and top cabinet members spoke of one message in front of the CEOs of 100 top publicly listed firms: Optimism.
“I just want to convey one word, which is ‘optimism’. Let us not forget the word, although external factors are not supportive and the political situation has been getting a little bit warmer recently,” he said in his remarks at the Kompas 100 CEO Forum, organised by daily newspaper Kompas.
Widodo suspected there were political actors behind the rally, with some observers believing the protests |were also aimed at undermining |his administration. 
The “warm” political conditions stemmed from a large-scale rally this month carried out by conservative Muslim groups demanding the prosecution of Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama over alleged blasphemy. – The Jakarta Post

Ly Son Island begins work on tourism port
Construction of the new Ben Dinh Tourism Port in Quang Ngai province’s Ly Son Island district in Vietnam kicked off on Wednesday.
The 200-billion-dong (Bt313 million) project is expected to meet the increased number of visitors to the island district, and is planned to be completed in 2018.
The 87-metre-long dock and 153-metre-long wharf allow one 2,000-ton vessel, one 1,000-ton vessel and a 400-seat vessel to anchor at the same time. The port area is 3 hectares wide, accommodating a 1,000-square-metre station. 
“The construction of Ben Dinh Port, which aims to complete the local system of seaports and inland waterway ports, will contribute to fortifying national defence and preserving national security and sovereignty of sea areas in the east of the country,” said the director of the Quang Ngai Department of Transport, Ha Hoang Viet Phuong. Also, the port is expected to become a hub for transport of goods and to facilitate the travel of local people and visitors. – Viet Nam News