Updated

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has returned to her office after five days away, but her effort to show that normalcy was returning to Thailand was upstaged by another rowdy anti-government rally at the national police headquarters.

After initially pledging to stage a peaceful march Wednesday, protesters knocked over concrete barriers and forced their way into the police compound. The commotion ended quickly, with police opening the gates to let protesters enter.

Authorities used the same strategy a day earlier at sites where violent clashes had erupted over the past several days between police and anti-government protesters trying to topple Yingluck's government.

The government's move was timed to coincide with national celebrations for the revered king's 86th birthday on Thursday.