Thai military ruler says authorities searching for ex-PM

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Former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra's lawyer Norrawit Larlaeng denies knowledge of her whereabouts outside the Supreme Court, Friday, Aug. 25, 2017, in Bangkok. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s lawyer Norrawit Larlaeng denies knowledge of her whereabouts outside the Supreme Court, Friday, Aug. 25, 2017, in Bangkok. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

BANGKOK (AP) — Thailand’s military ruler says authorities are searching for former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, whose whereabouts are unknown after she failed to show up for a contentious trial verdict and a Supreme Court judge said a warrant would be issued for her arrest.

Yingluck is facing a 10-year prison term for alleged negligence in overseeing an ill-fated rice subsidy program that cost the state billions of dollars.

A decision was expected to be handed down Friday but Yingluck never appeared, fueling immediate speculation — so far unproved — that she might have left the country.

Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, the military chief who toppled Yingluck’s government in a 2014 coup, says the government did not know where she was but was looking for her.