THAI army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha today summoned political rivals, senators and Election Commission members to a meeting on the country’s crisis.

Although the military denied that Tuesday’s declaration of martial law amounted to a coup, General Prayuth appeared to be setting the agenda by forcing the organisations to meet.

However, the talks ended in the early afternoon without reaching agreement.

The Election Commission met separately during the morning to consider the caretaker government’s proposal of an August 3 election.

General Prayuth said he had imposed martial law to restore order, but the caretaker government says it is still running the country.

However, Thailand’s cabinet has been barred from using its headquarters, the Defence Ministry said.

Both pro and anti-government protesters remained out in force, but the army confined them to separate protest sites in and around Bangkok and there were no reports of trouble overnight.