“If violence continues the military may need to come out... to restore peace and order,” he said in a rare official statement, adding his troops “may need to use force to resolve the situation”.
The fresh unrest casts doubts on the July 20 polls, with the EC saying the elections “must be postponed” due to prevailing political unrest that has claimed 28 lives. EC member Somchai Srisutthiyakorn said an election on July 20 looked improbable.
“We may have to push back the polls,” he said. Earlier, at least three persons were killed and 24 others injured in the latest attack in which grenades were hurled at anti-government People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) members. Following the explosion, people in a pickup truck opened fire, according to witnesses.
The PDRC has launched its “all-out final battle” to install an unelected leader after Yingluck Shinawatra, Thailand's only woman premier, was ordered to step down by the Constitutional Court over abuse of power.
