Amnesty for ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra is the only way to prevent political violence, according to General Pallop Pinmanee, a member of the opposition Pheu Thai Party.
Pallop said he was afraid violence would break out by April if the matter were not solved politically very soon. He also warned the military not to even think about staging another coup, as the people "wouldn't put up with it" this time.
"Some people think everything will be over by no later than April, but such a conclusion cannot be reached at this stage. It must be said that whether the issue is over or not will depend on whether both sides are willing to accept each other's terms.
"For our part, the only way out is to grant amnesty to Thaksin. If this is not met by the other party, it [conflict] is not likely to end. And if it doesn't end, I'm afraid things will inevitably turn violent when [red shirts] assemble around February," Pallop said.
Pallop, who was previously close to People's Alliance for Democracy co-leader Chamlong Srimuang, said he was concerned for the country under the leadership of Abhisit Vejjajiva, but negotiation would be a good start.
However, the government appears to have shut the door on such attempts and refused to accept the conditions put forward by Pheu Thai in its offer for national reconciliation, he said.
Pallop added that Thaksin's conviction over the Ratchadaphisek land-purchase deal should not be considered a "criminal act", as he only signed his name to endorse the purchase by his wife.
This, he argued, could not be compared to more serious charges such as rebellion, which he himself faced back in 1981 and for which he was later granted amnesty.
Since a plea for a royal pardon has been forwarded by red-shirt protesters, it is up to the government to speed up the facilitation process, he said.
If the matter is not resolved urgently, Pallop warned that violence was "inevitable".
He added that it would be wrong for the government to think it could deal with the red-shirt protests by invoking the Internal Security Act, as protesters would be unlikely to back down as they did last April.
"This time they won't back off," said Pallop, who also remarked that the recent donning of a military uniform by Privy Council President Prem Tinsulanonda resembled an incident prior to the September 2006 coup.
This time, however, people would not put up with another coup, the general said.
Asked if he or the red-shirt leaders could contain rangers planning to join red-shirt protests, Pallop said he and his peers would try to do so.
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