Shopping Mall near Borobudur?

Having returned to Australia from a recent business trip to Indonesia which included an opportunity to once again savor the splendor and ambience of one of Asia's truly great religious and cultural monuments, the Buddhist stupa of Borobudur, I am writing to express my horror and dismay on learning during my visit to the temple that the governor of Central Java is seriously considering allowing a three story shopping mall to be built adjacent to this architectural and spiritual wonder.

Is absolutely nothing sacred in this modern, globalized world of ours? It almost defies belief that such a culturally inappropriate and insensitive notion as building a shopping mall at Borobudur could be given even a moment's serious consideration.

Surely it cannot be the case that the eminence and prestige enjoyed by Borobudur, not only throughout Indonesia but right around the world, is not truly appreciated and understood in Semarang's gubernatorial circles?

From an international standpoint, Borobudur is to Indonesia what the Taj Mahal is to India or the Parthenon is to Greece. Can anyone imagine even a suggestion from within these nations that a shopping mall be built to "compliment" their famous cultural icons?

It is true that something does need to be done about the aggressive behavior of the shrine's souvenir hawkers who can thoroughly spoil an otherwise wondrous and enriching experience for the visitor to Borobudur. But a shopping mall is just not the way to do it.

The authorities in Central Java must be able to come up with something a little more sympathetic to the Buddhist spirit of Borobudur and the creative genius of the Javanese people who built it so many centuries ago, than a shopping mall.

PAUL GRIFFIN, Brisbane, Australia