Thailand army chief urges calm, doesn't rule out coup

Prayuth also reiterated a request that people stop asking the army to take sides in the dispute.

“Please don't bring the army into the center of this conflict,” he said.

On Thursday, protesters seeking to disrupt elections scheduled for Feb. 2 battled with police in clashes that left two people dead and injured more than 140. Thirty of the injured remained hospitalized Friday.

As Thursday's violence unfolded, Thailand's election commission called for a delay in the polls, a blow to Yingluck, who expects to win them handily thanks to her overwhelming support in the country's north and northeast. The government rejected the call.

Deputy Prime Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said Friday that he would ask the military to provide security for the elections.

Prayuth said the army had shown “red traffic lights to both sides, so things will calm down,” and called for an end to street violence. “You ask, ‘Who wins?' Who wins?' No one,” he said.