Army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha called on Wednesday for all sides of the political conflict to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to avoid violent confrontations.
Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, the army commander, says martial law is "strong medicine" that could make the national patient even worse than at present.
He made the comment after the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) and the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC) announced plans for major rallies on successive weekends.
First is the PDRC's march to push for reform before elections on Saturday, followed by the UDD gathering exactly a week later, on April 5.
''Who will agree to make small sacrifices in exchange for restoring peace? I don't know. If the two sides fight, death and injury will be inflicted on both sides and nobody will gain anything. Nobody wins.'' Gen Prayuth said.
The army chief did not make any direct references to anyone, but it is understood that he was referring to caretaker Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and PDRC secretary-general Suthep Thuagsuban.
He said leaders of the UDD and the PDRC must control their supporters and ensure there are no confrontations.
However, Gen Prayuth said the leaders of both sides unable to control their protesters, and there is a serious risk of violence.
Speaking of the possibility of martial law being imposed to handle any violence, Gen Prayuth said the issue is delicate and legal aspects need to be considered thoroughly.
He said he personally did not want martial law to be declared. He described the invocation of martial law as a ''strong medicine'' which could have a wider impact.
However, if people do not obey the law, declarations of any law will be futile, Gen Prayuth said, adding that the two opposing sides must comply with the law, rather than use numbers of protesters to outdo and defeat each other.
''I don't want to prescribe strong medicine. If the patients are resistant to the actions of medicines, medicine will not help,'' Gen Prayuth said.
The army chief yesterday also proposed protection measures for the red shirts if they hold a rally in Bangkok or in areas that fall under the Internal Security Act.
He forwarded the plan to the Centre for the Administration of Peace and Order (Capo) yesterday.
Checkpoints could be set up for the safety of UDD members in these areas, Gen Prayuth said. Soldiers would give equal protection to red shirts and their rivals, the PDRC.
Speaking after a Capo meeting yesterday, secretary-general Tarit Pengdith said the planned mass rallies of the UDD and PDRC risk confrontations culminating in violence and civil war.
Mr Tarit, the Department of Special Investigation chief, said confrontations between the UDD and the PDRC are possible.
The two sides have many supporters and their rallies could turn violent, Mr Tarit said.
The Capo wanted both sides to avoid provoking each other to avoid any confrontation.
Leaders of both sides must realise their actions could damage the country and they would face prosecution for violations of the law, Mr Tarit said.
He said the Capo is not part of the political conflict and is duty-bound to enforce the law to maintain order in the event of unrest breaking out in Bangkok and surrounding provinces.
The UDD has set April 5 as a day of nationwide rallies to fight a so-called conspiracy of the ammart (elite).
PDRC co-leader Thaworn Senneam yesterday admitted there are fears of possibly violent clashes breaking out between the PDRC and UDD on Saturday.
He said the UDD may intend to provoke violence to force the PDRC to end its rallies. Mr Suthep previously said he would end the rallies and allow the protesters to go home if violent clashes occur, Mr Thaworn said.
Mr Suthep was leading a march in Bangkok for a third day yesterday to gather support for the anti-government's planned march.
Former Pheu Thai Party MP for Samut Prakan and UDD co-leader, Worachai Hema, said yesterday UDD leaders will hold a secret meeting on Saturday to outline their action plans for the mass rally on April 5.
Mr Worachai said at the UDD rally, the red shirts may gather in 20 separate spots in provinces surrounding Bangkok, each spot holding between 10,000-20,000 people.
Mr Worachai also said that Ms Yingluck must not be pressured in to bowing to independent organisations.