MP lobs chairs at deputy speaker

MP lobs chairs at deputy speaker

Democrat Party MP Chen Thaugsuban caused uproar in the House on Thursday by throwing chairs at second deputy House speaker Wisut Chai-arun.

Angry Democrat Party MP,Chen Thaugsuban, throws a chair in the Lower House chamber during a debate on crop prices on Thursday.

Mr Chen's blood boiled about 6.50pm after Democrat MPs asked Mr Wisut to allow them more time to get an update on the clashes between rubber protesters and police in Prachuap Khiri Khan.

The MPs had claimed that police used tear gas to disperse the protesting farmers.

However, Pheu Thai Party list-MP Payap Panket said the MPs had spent enough time discussing the farmer problem and plummeting crop prices and proposed the session be adjourned.

Mr Wisut then asked Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Yukol Limlaemthong to provide an update on the Prachuap Khiri Khan clashes.

This enraged Mr Chen who thought Mr Wisut would close the House session early as soon as the minister finished speaking.

Visibly irate, Mr Chen threw a chair in the deputy speaker's direction and then another, breaking an armrest.

No one was injured, but fellow MPs had to help calm Mr Chen.

Mr Wisut explained he had no intention of ending the session prematurely but asked MPs to vote on whether to bring the session to a close, setting off further protests by the Democrats.

Opposition chief whip Jurin Laksanavisit said there were 27 Democrat MPs waiting to talk about the rubber problems, but they could no longer be part of a House which did not care about people's troubles. Mr Jurin and all the Democrat MPs then stormed out of the chamber, allowing Mr Wisut to close the session at 8.25pm.

Thursday's commotion followed another row in the House the day before. On Wednesday night, Democrat list-MP Watchara Petchthong was outraged by House Speaker Somsak Kiatsuranond's refusal to let him to speak about alleged misspending of the parliament budget.

Mr Watchara approached Mr Somsak and shouted at him, prompting Mr Somsak to call in the parliament police to eject the MP from the chamber.

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