HONG KONG - Organizers of an anti-Occupy Central demonstration are looking into bribery allegations after reports of participants being offered cash to take part in Sunday's rally surfaced.

Robert Chow Yung, spokesman of Alliance for Peace and Democracy that organized the rally, said it would have been better that the 190,000 marchers had attended the rally out of their own initiative to fight for peace in Hong Kong.

Like Us on Facebook

However, he said the alliance has opened investigations and would consider consequent punitive measures against those who would be found guilty.

Some 190,000 people had gathered in Hong Kong's Victoria Park on Sunday in protest against pro-democracy group Occupy Central's threat to close down the financial district if China refuses to allow open nominations for the 2017 elections.

The alliance reported the event had been a success, citing the 1.4 million signatures it had gathered for the petition.

But soon after the culmination of the event, local reports surfaced that people had offered cash to civilians - some of whom were not Hong Kong locals - to attend the march.

Aside from reports of unidentified persons offering cash to marchers, an incident cited by the New York Times claimed a Chinese chamber of commerce member had been caught on videotape giving two undercover reporters HK$400, roughly US$50, before they were ferried off to the rally site.

Pro-establishment groups had also been accused of such acts, including the General Association of Hong Kong Heyuan Societies and the Hong Kong Youth Association.

According to reports, the Heyuan Societies had offered HK$380 to each participant.

Chow's inquiry revealed the association's subsidiary "had carried out such acts" and announced the consideration of the removal of the 200 names the subsidiary registered in the final turnout.

The alliance will conduct further investigations into the matter, but would hold off a probe into the Youth Association until more evidence turned up after the association had refuted local media's similar bribery allegations.

Former senior Hong Kong official Anson Chan said the incident has only served to highlight orchestrated methods to oppose Occupy Central's campaign. He said the Sunday's march did not genuinely reflect people's views since the opposition had achieved it by "twisting arms" and "importing people from the mainland."

Meanwhile, Occupy Central responded to Sunday's demonstration claiming that the march had only fueled their desire to fight for democracy.

"If the horrifying vision of HK manifested by anti-Occupy doesn't make us fight harder for real democracy, something's wrong with our side."

Tagsoccupy central, Hong Kong pro-democracy, Alliance for Peace and Democracy, General Association of Hong Kong Heyuan Societies, Hong Kong Youth Association, Hong Kong