The army on Tuesday denied claims that soldiers had searched a van taking former prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra from her house in Chiang Mai to a religious ceremony.
Maj Gen Sarayut Rungsee, commander of the 33rd Army District in Chiang Mai, said soldiers and police did not intrude on the Volkswagen van in which the former prime minister was travelling from her home at the Chiang Mai Green Valley Country Club in Mae Rim district to a merit-making ceremony for deceased membes of the family on Tuesday morning.
The ceremony was held at Wat Rongtham Sammaki in San Khampaeng district.
A picture taken by a person in a vehicle behind Ms Yingluck's van shows soldiers and police surrounding her vehicle while she was inside it.
Authorities manning a checkpoint in front of her home ordered the motorcade to stop as it was departing and searched other vehicles, but not her Volkswagen van, Maj Gen Sarayut said.
Maj Gen Sarayut also said it was not true that security officers were shadowing Ms Yingluck to ensure she does not flee the country. Troops were providing security, to ensure her safety, when she was in her home province.
He apologised if Ms Yingluck had felt any discomfort and said the roadside checkpoint outside her premises would be removed.
''We have to apologise if we caused her discomfort. But please understand that soldiers set up a checkpoint with police as a routine practice to take care of all VIPs in the area. We have no intention to cause any disturbance,'' the local army chief said.
Authorities allowed her motorcade to continue the journey to the temple unhindered.
Last week, the National Council for Peace and Order rejected Ms Yingluck's request to travel to Hong Kong - she had planned to leave on Sunday - on the grounds that state prosecutors were planning to indict her on a charge of dereliction of duty regarding her former government's rice-pledging scheme.