“The public is no longer interested because they’re aware she’s gone,” he said on Monday.

Yingluck failed to show up in court on August 25 to hear the verdict on charges of malfeasance while in office regarding the rice-pledging scheme. She was last seen publicly on August 23 while she was making merit at a Bangkok temple.

Prawit acknowledged there was fresh speculation about her apparent escape from justice following revelations about specific vehicles in a convoy leaving her home that same day.

But he said he had nothing to add about the situation.

He said the government had no idea where Yingluck was, but it had people looking for her.

He said the Foreign Ministry had been in touch with Thailand’s embassies overseas on the matter.

Prawit insisted that no high-ranking officials had helped Yingluck flee, as has been widely surmised.