Thailand to deploy 15,000 police, troops for 'shutdown'

Thai office workers joining anti-government protesters blow whistles during a rally outside a shopping center at a business district in Bangkok, Thailand, 8 January 2014. - EPA

BANGKOK (AFP) - Nearly 15,000 police and soldiers will be deployed in the Thai capital next week for the planned "shutdown" of Bangkok by demonstrators trying to overthrow the government, officials said Wednesday.

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has called February elections following weeks of opposition street protests. But the demonstrators have vowed to block the vote, which they fear will only prolong the political dominance of her billionaire family.