Thai army convenes meeting of political rivals

Thailand's military convened crisis talks Wednesday between warring political rivals, vowing to stop the kingdom degenerating into another "Ukraine or Egypt" after imposing martial law to suppress months of street bloodshed.
US-led pressure grew for a return to civilian control but the Thai military, which has intervened repeatedly in politics down the decades, said it would respect international law and use force "only for issues of security".
Television footage showed army chief General Prayut Chan-O-Cha chairing the meeting in Bangkok on Wednesday afternoon.
It was to include top officials of the ruling and opposition parties and of the election commission and Senate, as well as the heads of the pro- and anti-government protest camps, according to AFP.