That neighbourhood should have been classified long ago as a World Historical Site and left as is. No one I know who's ever set foot or even driven through Portsdown was anything but smitten by it. Even a development freak could not help but be calmed by the soothing atmosphere.

The cicadas buzzing through the heat of the afternoon, the electric-blue kingfishers, the cockatoos squawking at dusk, the crickets and frogs at night, especially after a big downpour, the massively complex banyan trees, the cooler temperatures, braving the 'Ho Chi Minh Trail' across the railway tracks with its cobras, biting ants and giant spiders lying in wait, beers and noodles at the Colbar, the truly astounding mix of locals and foreigners of all classes and walks of life - these are things I still tell people here about, some four years after leaving.

But mostly what I remember was the green quietude, such a priceless commodity in Singapore. The Singapore Government is making a regrettable mistake for a negligible benefit.

Singaporeans and Portsdown residents, past and present: Speak out to save what's left of Singapore's heritage.

PAUL FENN
Toronto, Canada