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"The government has a direct responsibility to control the crowds and it is worrisome if progovernment protesters turn violent," Kuthep said.

Kuthep was commenting on Friday's tussle involving unruly crowds from the People's Vanguard for Democracy (PVD), led by PPP MP Pracha Prasopdee, to oppose the anticharter rewrite rally organised by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD).

Kuthep said Pracha acted in his personal capacity and that the PPP did not condone his action.

He said the PVD crowds had no justification to stir up trou¬ble which backfired and boosted the credibility of the PAD instead of helping the government.

Navy chief Admiral Sathiraphan Keyanont said under democratic rule, any dif¬ferences should be settled in Parliament or by judicial review and not through street protests.

"Any dissenting views can be aired and heard but the political struggle should take place in Parliament," he said.

Sathiraphan played down speculation about seizure of power, arguing that soldiers already had a heavy workload, such as the Southern violence, and had no time for intervening in poli¬tics.