Thailand's military government has denied former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra permission to travel overseas to ensure she is in the country to face criminal charges later this month, according to a government spokesman.

The military toppled the remnants of Yingluck's government in a coup last May, ending months of demonstrations on the streets of Bangkok that had paralyzed her administration.

Last month, Yingluck was banned from politics for five years and indicted on criminal charges over her involvement in a state rice buying scheme that cost Thailand billions of dollars.