WORLD BRIEFING / THAILAND
Thousands of supporters of ousted Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra held their first anti-government rally since their previous protests turned violent two weeks ago and were stopped by the army.
Meanwhile, Sondhi Limthongkul, one of Thaksin’s chief critics, was released from a hospital under tight security, eight days after a brazen assassination attempt left bullet shards in his skull.
The protest at Sanam Luang, a field near Bangkok’s Grand Palace, drew about 5,000 people, as predicted by organizers but far short of the estimated 100,000 who turned out for a rally April 8.
The protest was called Friday hours after Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva lifted a state of emergency imposed to deal with rioting that cut short a regional summit hosted by Thailand.
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