Thailand braces for large anti-government rally

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand will deploy 17,000 police officers and has invoked a special security law for what authorities expect will be the largest anti-government protest since Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra took office in 2011.

Authorities expect tens of thousands of protesters for Saturday's rally, which is being organized by a royalist group calling itself "Pitak Siam," or "Protect Thailand."

The group accuses Yingluck's government of corruption, allowing defamation of the revered monarchy and being a puppet of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who is Yingluck's brother and was ousted by a 2006 coup.

The government invoked the Internal Security Act on Thursday in three Bangkok districts, citing the possibility of violence. The act allows authorities to close roads, impose curfews and ban the use of electronic devices in designated areas.