A DISQUIETING rumour is circulating in academic circles that the Hongkong Public Records Office is to be moved to an industrial building in Tuen Mun.
I would like to know if this rumour is true.
If it is being considered, have any members of the academic and scholarly community been consulted about the implications of such a move? Is it to be an internal government decision without any input by those who use the Public Records Office for research? I raise these questions as probably the first public patron of the archives when the office opened in the early 1970s and as someone who has been a regular user ever since.
I write not just out of personal interest, but also on behalf of the many local and overseas scholars who use it.
A re-location away from the MTR line would cause transportation problems and might take up as much as an hour in travel time. This would be especially difficult for overseas scholars.
Research into the past of Hongkong is, and will continue to be, important. It helps us arrive at informed decisions regarding Hongkong's future.
