THAI military chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha threatened today that the army could “use force” if political violence continued. 

“The military may need to come out to restore peace and order,” General Chan-ocha said, adding that the army could be forced to end the violence “in full force.”

However, US correspondents said a coup was not thought likely as the military has frequently said that this would not resolve Thailand’s political crisis.

Explosions and an overnight shooting attack on opposition demonstrators in the capital Bangkok killed three people yesterday and at least 22 people were also wounded in the assaults before dawn near the city’s Democracy Monument, where some protesters are camping out.

At least three grenades were detonated and machine-guns were fired at protesters in the small encampment.

Police said the dead included one sleeping protester and a volunteer guard.

The royalist protesters are pushing the Senate and the nation’s courts to intervene in the crisis and install a “neutral” prime minister, but the government says that is a threat to the democratic system and would be tantamount to a judicial coup.

Right-wing protesters cannot win at the polls and are therefore opposed to elections. 

They want to set up an unelected “people’s council” to remove the influence of deposed Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra before any polls take place, which the current ruling party would almost certainly win because of wide support among the rural poor.