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