BANGKOK, Dec. 1  -- Anti-government protesters Monday let several planes fly out of Bangkok's international airport with thousands of passengers who had been stranded in Thailand.

The People's Alliance for Democracy-led protesters, who have been occupying the Suvarnabhumi international airport, allowed Thai Airways jetliners and those of other airlines to pick up the stranded passengers, the Thai News Agency reported.

CNN, quoting an airport authority spokesman, reported more than three dozen planes were on this mission to help about 100,000 passengers reach their homes.

The U. S. network reported that by early Monday 37 planes had flown out of Suvarnabhumi.

The protesters occupied both Suvarnabhumi and the domestic Don Muang airport last week to press their demand for the resignation of the government led by Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat, which they see as a proxy for former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, ousted in a military coup in 2006. The protesters also have occupied Bangkok's federal government complex for the past three months.

On Sunday, a blast from a grenade suspected of being tossed by counter-demonstrators reportedly injured about 50 protesters on the government compound. (UPI)