WILLEMSTAD - Curaçao commemorates the April murders on Wednesday. Exactly eighty years ago, fifteen Chinese seamen from Shell were murdered in Curaçao by guards of the oil tankers.
The location on Suffisant has been prepared for the commemoration by detainees of the Sentro di Detenshon i Korekshon Kòrsou (SDKK). Various speakers will be speaking, including the Representative of the Netherlands Erwin Arkenbout and various ministers.
The Chinese workers worked for the Curaçaosche Scheepvaart Maatschappij, a former Shell company. On February 24, 1942, more than 400 workers went on strike. They felt that they were not well protected against the life-threatening work. There was a lot of war violence at sea. Very little was paid.
After a strike of more than two months, fifteen Chinese were killed by the Curaçao government on April 20. The Foundation for the Reparation of War Victims Curaçao now commemorates April 20th every year.
The commemoration will take place at 4 p.m. on Kolonelsweg in Suffisant.