I cannot help but admire the Hong Kong Special Administrative Administration government for launching another public consultation on heritage conservation ("Gov't to launch consultation on heritage protection", January 9).

It is nice to hear that the SAR government has unveiled a conservation strategy and will expand the advisory body and set out conservation proposals for public consultation. What is more satisfying is that the advisory body will have new faces.

However, the thrust of the conservation should be on ways to measure collective memory, preserve entire historic neighborhoods or districts and adapt buildings to modern use. Moreover, it should initiate a debate on setting up an independent body to advise the government on heritage preservation issues.

Priya Daswani

Hong Kong

(China Daily 01/12/2007 page11)