Official calls for preservation

Official calls for preservation

PALEMBANG, South Sumatra: Many of Palembang's historic buildings
have been lost in the rush to modernize the city, a government
official said on Monday.

Rahman Zeth, head of the provincial administration's
Development and Planning Agency, said modernization could not be
stopped, but that efforts had to be made to ensure the city's
past was not lost forever.

He said the government must prohibit the destruction of
historic buildings. He also urged local architects to build on
and recognize the city's past by designing new buildings that
complement the old. -- Antara