WILLEMSTAD – Dear CHATA Partners, pursuant to our email communication this morning: We are advising our partners to limit personal postings regarding last night’s incident.
Please know we have Curaçao’s best interest in mind as we say this and understand this is our beloved island and feelings are very real.
But as representatives of the island, whether in the private or public sector, posting about the incident and your thoughts about it can contribute to any negative fallout impacting the industry. Social media is a public forum and your comments can be used by the media as direct quotes. Things like ‘Pray for Curaçao’ as profile pictures or ‘feeling angry/devastated’ will create additional attention and frenzy in international markets.
Please be judicious about posts from your company or personal pages as we try to manage the messaging. Social media is the number one way that news is spread, and our own posts will add fuel to the fire.
The Government, CTB, KVK and CHATA has formulated and agreed to use the following statement and we request all partners to adhere and limit all outgoing communication to the below statement.
“Last night there was an incident at the Curaçao International airport where a shooting took place. This isolated incident was between local residents. Curaçao is deeply saddened with what took place last night and officials are in full cooperation with local authorities as they continue their investigation.
Eight persons were injured of which 1 was pronounced dead at the scene and one at the hospital. The others that were injured received various injuries and all are in stable condition. All the persons that were injured are local residents.
Details behind the circumstances of the shooting are still under investigation and there are leads being pursued. In the interest of the ongoing matter no additional details can be released at this time. Authorities will release additional information as it becomes available. It is important to note that this is an isolated incident, and normal activities continue throughout the island
Local authorities provided and are providing assistance and professional support to anyone on island that might require it and that have been affected by the incident.
Actions were put into place and Hato International Airport which remains fully open and operational.”
The above statement should be used as a re-active communication tool and is not a statement to be used pro-actively to inform. Our communication team will be informing all media partners locally/internationally.
Meanwhile we have identified the different properties who have guests in house who witnessed the incident and together with Slachtofferhulp and the GM’s of the properties we have offered support and guidance.
Bron: Persbericht CHATA
you can fool some of the people some of the time but not all people all of the time. This CHATA report of the incidence is not only a lie I find it an insult to the Curacao population when Chata says that only locals were hurt! I understand two tourists were amongst the injured too. As a resident I also want to portray my country in a positive light but I cannot do that with fabrications and inaccurate reporting.