(VOVworld) – Thai Army Commander-in-Chief, General Prayuth Chan-ocha declared martial law Tuesday on the entire nation to take effect at 3 am.

Thai soldiers take their positions in the middle of a main intersection in Bangkok's shopping district May 20, 2014.

The Army chief also issued an order lifting the Internal Security Act and setting up a peace-keeping command center headed by Prayuth to replace the Centre for Maintaining Peace and Order. Thai armed forces deployed personnel to major State communication agencies and asked pro- and anti-government protesters to halt their actions to help resolve the ongoing crisis.

Martial law was declared to head off potentially bloody clashes between pro-government and anti-government mobs. Thai army units are deploying to many places in Bangkok to stabilize the situation.