The rally, organized by Thailand's major Muslim groups and attended by over ten thousand of Muslims, was held at a stadium in Songkhla, about 950 kilometers south of Bangkok.

At the rally, Muslims coming from all parts of Thailand condemned the ongoing war in Iraq, called for a United Nations' role in ending the war and prayed for world peace.

The protesters held posters reading "End the War," "No Blood for Oil," and so on, in heavy rain.

Activists, while listening to speeches broadcast by loudspeakers, also asked people to donate for the Iraqi people.

Only five percent of Thailand's population are Muslims, most of whom live in southern Thai provinces including Songkhla.

(Xinhua News Agency March 26, 2003)