Update 2- Greeks Head For Polls İn Bailout Referendum

Millions of Greeks headed to the polls on Sunday to vote on proposals for bailing out their ailing economy.



The vote, which some claim will also determine Greece's continued membership of the eurozone, will see around 10 million Greeks eligible to vote either "Yes" or "No" on proposals to raise taxes and cut spending from Greece's creditors the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund.



The past week saw the country's bailout program expire on Tuesday when it defaulted on a 1.5 billion euro ($1.7 billion) repayment as banks closed their doors and put limits on cash withdrawals.



The polls opened at 7 a.m. local time (0500GMT) and close 12 hours later. An indication of the result will be known later in the evening.



The voters will select a box to either approve or reject the further austerity measures proposed by the "troika" of creditors to the Eurogroup on June 25.



One voter, who identified himself only as Thanos, said he had a message for Europe's leaders.



"Former French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing said, back in 2000:  'Europe without Greece would be like a child without a birth certificate'," he told Anadolu Agency. "That's my only message."



Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis have been at the fore of calls for a "No" vote, claiming it will give the government greater power in its negotiations with creditors.



"Many people may ignore the will of the government but the people's will cannot be ignored," Tsipras said after casting his vote in Athens on Sunday.



"People in Greece will decide their own destiny. I am sure that after tomorrow a way will be opened for a return to the founding values of Europe."



European politicians involved in the talks have claimed the opposite and say rejecting the proposals risks a Greece exit from the euro.



"If they say 'No' they will have to introduce another currency after the referendum because the euro will no longer be available as a means of payment," European Parliament President Martin Schulz said in an interview with German radio station Deutschlandfunk on Sunday.



"The moment someone introduces a new currency, they exit the eurozone. Those are the elements that give me some hope that the people will not vote 'No' today."



'Unsustainable' proposals



The referendum was preceded on Friday by rallies across Greece organized by both camps. Opinion polls on Friday indicated the country was more or less evenly split between a "Yes" and a "No" vote.



The troika is demanding further pension cuts and tax increases for business and farmers in return for a 7.2 billion euro bailout.



Greece urgently needs 16.3 billion euros to pay public servants and keep the country running.



Radical Left Greek MEP Stelios Kouloglou told Anadolu Agency that Greeks should vote against the "unsustainable" proposals that are "not going to work".



He added: "The country's creditors were not planning to get their money back... they wanted to get rid of Tsipras. The Europeans do not want to see anyone challenge their power as Tsipras did."



Addressing reporters after casting his vote, President Prokopis Pavlopoulos said: "Citizens are being called upon to decide according to their conscience, with national interest and future of their country in mind."



He added: "We must walk the tough road ahead with unity as our forefathers did in the past."



Former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, who leads the New Democracy party, reiterated calls for a "Yes" decision as he voted.



Despite the crisis, the country's tourism industry seemed unaffected on Sunday.



Although visitors have been warned to bring cash with them as a precaution, the capital controls that apply to Greeks are not being imposed on foreign bank cards.



Tourism is vital to the country's economy. Greece received nearly $33 billion from tourism last year, accounting for 16 percent of the country's income. The industry also accounts for nearly one in 10 jobs, according to the Tourism Ministry.



"Our business is as usual," travel agent Agafya Colonomos told Anadolu Agency. "We have even more demand from Chinese tourists who come to Athens to buy luxury goods."



Japanese couple Koichi and Tomini said the crisis had brought an unexpected advantage for those sightseeing around Athens - the free public transport introduced by the government on Wednesday.



"We were worried about the financial crisis before we turned up but after three days in Athens we can't see any sign for it except that the trains and buses are free," Tomini said. - Ankara