As part of the approval, the Bangkok Council also allowed Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) to spend Bt719.2 million on the construction of the On Nut - Soi Bearing Skytrain route.

An official said that no Bangkok councillors questioned the Skytrain plan but the meeting dragged on only because Bangkok councillors from Thai Rak Thai took turns attacking Bangkok Governor Apirak Kosayodhin's work during the meeting.

Apirak - who is a deputy leader of the Democrat Party - was criticised for failing to implement mega-projects transparently, irregularities in a plan to purchase fire engines and fireboats from Austria, as well as failure to regulate street stalls. "It was already past midnight when I began to present my side of the story," Apirak said yesterday.

However, he also said that the Bangkok Council took a long time deliberating a draft regulative on the upcoming Bangkok municipal councillors' election, which is to be held on July 23.

At one point during the meeting yesterday, Bangkok Councillor and Thai Rak Thai member Chaiwoot Jariyavirojkul was asked to leave after he rudely criticised chairperson Chanin Rungsaeng.

Chanin acted as chairperson during the meeting because Bangkok Council's chairman Thana Cheeravinij asked him to. At that time, Thana was already engaged in a war of words with Chaiwoot for more than an hour. Thana's complaint that Chaiwoot failed to dress politely generated the initial dispute.

Chaiwoot wore a headband but not a necktie.