Occupy Central records must be preserved, archive group argues
Democracy movement is a valuable milestone for HK and the world, archive experts say
Hongkongers must seize the chance to preserve records of the "umbrella movement" before they vanish, as they hold great importance for not just the city but also people around the world, a concern group says.
Both Occupy Central supporters and detractors had a role to play in starting as soon as possible to keep records of the democracy campaign, as the city had no archive law requiring the government to put the happenings on file for the public, the Archives Action Group said.
The group, which has been pressing for such a law for the last six years, yesterday warned of the urgency of preserving documents from Occupy leaders and their correspondence with the government.
Also relevant were images, messages on posters and even journalists' notes that were not published, the group said.
All these chronicled an important milestone in the history of Hong Kong's road to democracy, it said, but the records could be lost down the road.
"Without an archive law, the government can destroy records," said group member Simon Chu Fook-keung, former director of the Government Records Service.
Chu and his fellow archive-law experts called for the records to be organised systematically, so the files could become a treasure to not only locals but also the world, through recognition from the UN's heritage body.
