WILLEMSTAD - Curaçao Airport Holding (CAH) must stop work on the site of the Hato plantation and repair the damage done to the area, Minister Charles Cooper of Traffic, Transport and Spatial Planning (VVRP) said in an official letter.  

In addition, CAH must apply for permits and a proposal must be submitted to the ministry within a week. Plantation House Hato, with the main and outbuildings, including the graves, is a protected monument.  

The activities that follow must therefore be applied under the supervision of an expert and must be completed within three weeks, according to the minister.  

According to the Werkgroep Archeologie Curaçao (WAC), serious damage was caused to the graves during the work. In addition, part of the wall around the cemetery and a pillar would have been removed.