HONG KONG — Tens of thousands of Hong Kongers voted Friday in an unofficial referendum on democratic reform that has alarmed Beijing and sets the stage for a possible showdown with the government, with mass protests aimed at shutting down the Chinese capitalist enclave's financial district. Tensions are boiling over in Hong Kong, which came back under Chinese control in 1997, over how to choose the city's next leader. Since the end of British colonial rule, Hong Kong's leaders have been picked by an elite pro-Beijing committee. Beijing has pledged to allow Hong Kongers to choose their own chief executive starting in 2017. Organizers of the Occupy Central with Love and Peace movement said that in the first six hours, about 165,000 ballots were cast on proposals for electoral reform. They hope at least 300,000 people will take part. – AP
