Thailand’s senior military leaders have rejected a proposed meeting with anti-government protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban, the Bangkok Post reported on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Suthep called for a meeting with the military top brass, setting a deadline of 8 p.m (1300 GMT) on Thursday, to explain his ideas for reform, after his mass protest movement forced the dissolution of parliament earlier in the week.

According to the Bangkok Post, the military top brass decided at a late night meeting on Wednesday to turn down Suthep’s offer as too “dangerous” in the current political climate.

“This time we (the military) are between a lot of people on two sides, if you cannot clean up (the stalemate) first, it’s very dangerous,” army commander-in-chief General Prayuth Chan-Ocha told the Bangkok Post. “We must be patient and keep calm and do everything carefully,” he said.

The military has a long history of playing an important political role in Thailand, which has seen 18 coups since a clique of officers ended the absolute monarchy in 1932, paving the way for a democratic system with a constitutional monarchy.

Suthep on Monday led more than 100,000 protesters to Government House, the seat of the administration, forcing Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to dissolve parliament and call a new election on February 2.

But Suthep has vowed to continue the protest, with the broader goal of ridding Thai politics of the influence of fugitive former prime minister Thaksin, Yingluck’s elder brother who was ousted by a coup in 2006, and installing an appointed premier and an interim “People’s Council”.

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