AKIPRESS.COM - Hong Kong leader CY Leung has urged pro-democracy protesters to stop their campaign "immediately", as huge crowds continue to bring parts of the territory to a standstill, reports BBC.

Tens of thousands of people have been blocking streets in several areas. The protesters want Beijing to give Hong Kong a free vote for its next leader, something Beijing has rejected. Streets are now relatively quiet but crowds are set to swell later ahead of Chinese National Day on 1 October.

People were sleeping and clearing up on Tuesday before larger gatherings expected during the evening. Wednesday is a national holiday marking the founding of Communist China. At the weekend police used tear gas and pepper spray, but riot police have since been withdrawn and protesters remain calm.

Key parts of the city are being blocked by protesters, with some schools and banks closed. The protesters want Mr Leung, the chief executive, to step down. But he appeared to reject their demand, saying that his removal would mean Hong Kong's next leader being chosen by a committee, as in 2012, rather than by voters.

He also called on the protesters - a mix of students, supporters of the pro-democracy Occupy Central group and others angered by the police response to the protests - to go home. "Occupy Central founders had said repeatedly that if the movement is getting out of control, they would call for it to stop," Mr Leung said. "I'm now asking them to fulfil the promise they made to society, and stop this campaign immediately."

Thousands of pro-democracy protesters spent the night on the street near Admiralty in Hong Kong's Central district. Some were propped up against barricades, others stretched out in the middle of a major road.

After a strong show last night the crowds have trickled out this morning as people go to work or home to take care of household chores. But they say they will be back tonight when numbers are expected to swell. This has been the routine now for two days. The crowds diminish in the day but return in full force in the evening and stay the night.

The morning is being spent mostly removing rubbish left over from last night's huge crowd. Students are picking up cigarette butts and plastic bottles, others are distributing breakfast buns. That is why those on the street are being called "the politest protesters" by some on social media.

But they are on edge. At one point in the middle of the night everyone suddenly stood up and started pulling on masks. It turned out to be just a changing of the guard for the handful of police scattered around here, but the sudden fear was palpable.