Democrats walk out as speaker blocks query session

Since the House-Senate meeting to debate two financial decrees coincided with the House’s question-and-answer session, the Democrats sought and received parliamentary approval for posing queries concurrent with the debate on the decrees.
The Democrats subsequently tabled a motion to pick up on last week’s session, which had ended before Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra could explain why she had a private meeting with real-estate developers.
However, Parliament President Somsak Kiarsuranont, in his capacity as House Speaker, said that the query had already been tabled last week and could not be put back on the agenda regardless of whether or not Yingluck had responded.
This decision prompted protests from the Democrats, as Opposition chief whip Jurin Laksanavisit said the query was still on the agenda because Democrat MP Rangsima Rodrasamee was just given the opportunity to pose one question.
Somsak, however, said he stood by his decision to drop the query. In an apparent move to make a compromise, Pheu Thai MP Cholnan Srikaew said the Democrats should file a new motion to query Yingluck, but Jurin said this was impossible because the Opposition did not agree with Somsak’s decision to abort the query. Then the Democrats walked out in protest.
Though Somsak’s decision has brought an end to the House inquiry into the mysterious Four Seasons meeting, the Office of the Ombudsman is investigating the incident.