BANGKOK (REUTERS) - Thailand's army chief said rival political groups should talk to each other and that the martial law imposed on Tuesday would last until peace and order had been restored.

"We ask all sides to come and talk to find a way out for the country," General Prayuth Chan-ocha told reporters.

He said the army had acted to restore order and build investor confidence, after more than six months of political unrest during which the economy has slumped.

The army would take action against anyone that used weapons and harmed civilians, he added.