"Those who are thinking of going and shutting polling stations in the morning should think twice because the police will not allow them to," says Labour Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung, who is in charge of a state of emergency imposed last week.
Thailand's government says it is pressing ahead with controversial elections this weekend, despite threats by opposition protesters to disrupt the polls in an attempt to stop the ruling party returning to power.
The Thai capital has been shaken by nearly three months of mass street demonstrations, demanding Yingluck's elected government step down to make way for an unelected "people's council" that would oversee reforms aimed at curbing the dominance of her billionaire family.
"Even if the election is postponed, the problems will not go away. I don't think that the (protest) movement will stop," Deputy Prime Minister Phongthep Thepkanjana told reporters.
The kingdom has been bitterly divided since Yingluck's older brother Thaksin Shinawatra was ousted as prime minister by royalist generals in a coup more than seven years ago.
Critics accuse the billionaire tycoon-turned-politician of controlling his sister's government from Dubai, where he lives to avoid prison for a corruption conviction.
The Election Commission fears that there might be "clashes" during voting. Election commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn says polling stations would close early in the event of problems.
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