Leader of Macau poll 'referendum' probed

Macau authorities have stepped up their crackdown on democracy activists operating an unofficial "referendum" on the upcoming chief executive election, placing a core leader under judicial investigation yesterday.

But the allegation that the poll organisers had breached personal data laws is in question, with a legal scholar saying it is "hard to justify" the detentions on those grounds.

The authorities' latest move came after police shut down all five of the poll's physical voting stations and detained then released four organisers within hours of the referendum's launch on Sunday.

Jason Chao Teng-hei - leader of the Open Macau Society, which is organising the poll with Macau Conscience and Macau Youth Dynamics - was accused of failing to comply with a government order to stop the referendum. Chao said the order was illegal.

His case was transferred to the public prosecutions office, part of Macau's judicial system, and he is required to make an application if he needs to leave Macau for longer than five days.

The referendum asks residents if they have confidence in Chief Executive Dr Fernando Chui Sai-on and want universal suffrage in the next election.

Watch: Macau unofficial referendum organiser: Hong Kong and Macau should join forces for democracy