My Take | Sense prevails at last over ancient Hong Kong relics at MTR station site

Common sense, alas, is not all that common. But at least it has finally prevailed in the MTR's sorry billion-dollar saga over the preservation of some ancient relics unearthed at a To Kwa Wan site that is part of the new MTR line from Sha Tin to Central. That's no thanks to the government.

At last two specialists had the guts to say the obvious. Professor Tang Chung, director of the Chinese University's Centre for Chinese Archaeology and Art, and William Meacham, former chairman of the Hong Kong Archaeological Society, warned that the plans to preserve the relics in place could be a waste of public money.

And the relics, they say, aren't all that rare as lots of similar ones from the Song period (960-1279) have been found in Hong Kong.

"Spending billions of dollars would be against any common sense in archaeology in the world," Professor Tang said.

What he means is that it's not worth the cost and trouble.

Amen to that!