(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-03-21 12:50

BANGKOK - A 44-year-old Thai man set fire on himself in front of the Parliament in Bangkok on Friday to demand the resignation of the House Speaker Yongyuth Tiyapairat.

According to witnesses, the man who is identified as Man Truatmanka, a native of northeastern province of Buri Ram, rode a motorcycle there and shouted "Yongyuth, get out" several times on Friday morning. Then, he took off his shirt and pants, leaving only an underwear on, and threw oil on himself before setting it on fire.

The Bangkok Post webnews reported the man was severely injured although the Parliament guards tried to extinguish the flame and rushed Man, a meatballs seller, to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Yongyuth was elected as the House Speaker in January. However, the Election Commission recently ruled that he was guilty of electoral wrongdoing and disqualified him from the House membership. The case is now under investigation by the Supreme Court.

Should the Election Commission's decision receive endorsement from the court, Yongyuth will be disqualified from the House and banned from politics for five years.