THE Education Bureau (EDB) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government has mulled punishing teachers for professional misconducts related to social unrest.

An EDB spokesperson said violations of teacher’s code of conduct were found in 30 of 106 cases which the EDB has carried out investigations into since June this year.

As important role models for students, teachers’ words and deeds must conform to the community’s moral and professional expectations, the spokesperson said.

The EDB’s move came amid rising concerns about teachers’ role in prolonged social unrest and even violent incidents as an increasing number of students were involved in illegal activities in recent months.

About 40 percent of 6,022 people who were arrested for offenses including unlawful assembly, participation in riot and possession of offensive weapons since June were students, the police have said.

Of the 12 people arrested Monday morning, six were students and one was a teacher. Police seized flammable liquid and glass bottles that could be used to make petrol bombs, as well as instruments for road blockage, including nails and homemade barricades.

The EDB has asked for the suspension of the teacher arrested Monday, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added the EDB will follow up every case related to teachers, who, if convicted, may face cancellation of their registration.

In another development, the Hong Kong police said Tuesday that the discovery of two homemade bombs in Hong Kong’s Wan Chai on Monday might not be a single case, warning that criminals may have stored more firearms and lethal explosives in the community.

The police said in a post on social media that upon further inspection by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bureau (EOD) on Tuesday morning, the two remote-controlled bombs were proved to be fully functional and readily deployable.

Based on the current findings from intelligence gathering and investigation, the police suspected that the discovery of the two bombs is not a single case, and some criminals are planning to cause casualties in the community with firearms and explosives.

In an operation early Sunday, the police seized a semi-automatic pistol and over 100 bullets suspected to be used by radicals in a demonstration. It is the first time that a handgun has been seized related to the recent unrest in Hong Kong.

The police said Tuesday that the Organized Crime and Triad Bureau have decided to investigate the two cases as a whole, and are now tracing the source of the ammunition and the concerned criminal group.

(Xinhua)