Close to a million people voted in the referendum, which ends next Sunday. Hong Kong authorities ready 4,000 police agents for possible evacuation of Occupy Central. "Not all voters support the protest movement, but they took the opportunity to express their views on their political future," a Catholic source told AsiaNews.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews) - The referendum on democratic reforms by Occupy Central "is a cry for freedom by the people of Hong Kong that Beijing cannot ignore," a Catholic source told AsiaNews. "For many people, this cry was triggered by, among other things, a white paper issued by the Chinese government that clearly states that Hong Kong must remain under direct mainland control despite promises of democracy," said the source, which preferred to remain anonymous.

The unofficial referendum on democracy began at noon last Friday. After a few hours, more than 200,000 had voted. For organisers, 100,000 votes would have been a good result. Today, sources close to the organising committee said that almost a million people had voted.

The referendum asked people to choose the best way to elect the next chief executive in 2017: direct vote on the basis of universal suffrage as advocated by pro-democracy groups, or by a committee of representatives, as is the case today, some of whom are appointed by the government and China.

According to organisers, the vote is just a survey to see what people think, and was supposed to take place over two days (20-22 June), but a hacker attack against Occupy Central's server, deemed the most sophisticated and powerful ever to occur in Hong Kong, made it necessary to extend voting until 29 June.

On 20 June, Bishop Emeritus Card Joseph Zen ended his 84-km march across Hong Kong to encourage citizens to participate in the referendum. Even Card John Tong, the current bishop, supports the right of the people to express their views on democracy.

China's reaction was swift. Hong Kong bankers and business leaders warned that the direct election of the chief executive would be a disaster, causing the collapse of the standard of living.

Meanwhile, police this morning began their largest exercise in recent decades as more than 4,000 agents prepare for the eventuality of removing Occupy Central.

Sources told AsiaNews that "this reaction was expected, but is not unanimous anyway. Even in the banks in Hong Kong some people liken Occupy Central to what happened in the rest of the world. Some bankers said that the movement will not destroy Hong Kong any more than it has destroyed London or New York."

Likewise the large turnout "should not be confused with full endorsement. Not everyone appreciates the [pro-democracy] option. However, people voted in the referendum because they saw an opportunity to choose their own destiny. It was a cry for democracy and freedom."

• hong
• kong
• china
• referendum
• democracy
• occupy
• central