The army could be deployed by the Turkish government to end nearly three weeks of protests that have swept the nation, says Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc.Bulent Arinc said the government could deploy "elements of the armed forces" to help quell anti-government protests in Istanbul and other cities if needed.
"Our police, our security forces are doing their jobs. If it's not enough then the gendarmes will do their jobs. If that's not enough ... we could even use elements of the Turkish Armed Forces," he said in a televised interview.
The threat came as two unions urged members to walk out and take part in a one-day nationwide strike to protest against the police crackdown on anti-government demonstrations.
The Confederation of Public Workers' Unions (KESK) and Confederation of Progressive Trade Unions (DISK) are demanding an end to the police crackdown.
However, the interior minister issued a warning to organisers of the walkout that is aimed at maintaining pressure on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government.
"I am calling on public workers and labourers to not participate in unlawful demonstrations — otherwise they will bear the legal consequences," Muammer Guler said. "Our police will be on duty as usual."A day earlier, riot police cordoned off streets, set up roadblocks and fired tear gas and water cannons to prevent anti-government protesters from converging on Istanbul's central Taksim Square, while a few miles away Erdogan addressed hundreds of thousands of government supporters.
Police maintained a lockdown on Taksim Square today, the epicenter of more than two weeks of protests, by barring vehicles. However, as the work week began, authorities re-opened a subway station at the square that had been shuttered Sunday when protesters tried to regroup.
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