NINE Occupy activists, including three chief organizers, were found guilty for their involvement in the 2014 illegal Occupy protests, a Hong Kong court ruled yesterday.

University of Hong Kong law professor Benny Tai Yiu-ting and sociologist Chan Kin-man, two of the three chief organizers, were convicted of conspiracy to commit public nuisance and incitement to commit public nuisance, according to the West Kowloon Magistrates’ Courts.

The other chief organizer, pastor Reverend Chu Yiu-ming, was convicted of conspiracy to commit public nuisance.

Five other defendants, namely a legislator from the Civic Party Tanya Chan Suk-chong, legislator and social worker Shiu Ka-Chun, social activist Raphael Wong Ho-ming, and former student leaders Tommy Cheung Sau-yin and Eason Chung Yiu-wa, were found guilty for incitement to commit public nuisance.

Former Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Wing-tat was convicted of incitement to commit public nuisance.

Judge Johnny Chan Jong-herng handed down the verdicts. The court will hear the defendants’ petition in the afternoon. The date for sentencing has not yet been revealed.

According to the Crimes Ordinance and the Criminal Procedure Ordinance, each charge carries up to seven years’ imprisonment.

The illegal Occupy protests saw massive sit-ins on Tim Mei Avenue and Fenwick Pier Street — major thoroughfares linking Wan Chai and Central — between Sept. 28 and Dec. 11 of 2014. It put the city in a standstill for 79 days.

China will choose chief teachers at primary and middle schools in rural areas in its central and western regions in a pilot program to promote local education, according to a notice from the Ministry of Education on Tuesday.

Anhui, Henan, Shaanxi and Gansu provinces were included in the pilot program, and each province will have five underdeveloped cities or prefectures set chief teachers, according to the notice.

Chief teachers will be chosen from a pool of educators with impeccable credentials, excellent professional qualities, high education levels and strong organizational coordination abilities.

According to the notice, chief teachers will be chosen through competitions openly, and should focus on Chinese, math and English as their subjects. Their tenure will be three years in the pilot program.

The program will help them explore new education concepts, modes and methods and form new teaching characteristics and styles, encouraging them to be leading talents in basic education.

They will play an exemplary and leading role in driving local rural teachers to improve their level of education and teaching, and consequently improve the quality of rural education in the central and western regions. (China Daily)