Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwon has not spoken to reporters for two days, since being criticised for treating the deadly terrorist attack on a Nairobi hotel as a joke.
The prime minister and the foreign minister, meanwhile, have offered their condolences to the victims and their families.
Gen Prawit, who is also defence minister, chaired a meeting on the management of marine and coastal resources at Government House yesterday. He smiled and silently accepted reporters' greetings but did not talk to them, either before or after the meeting.
Officials at the government spokesman's office asked reporters not to interview Gen Prawit. At Government House, police blocked reporters from approaching him.
Gen Prawit has kept his silence since being strongly criticised for his remarks on Wednesday in response to reporters' questions about the terrorist attack at the DusitD2 Hotel in the Kenyan capital on Tuesday.
He said it was "okay" that no Thais died in the attack on the resort and spa, not "good enough" as some media reported, and when a reporter asked why a Thai-managed hotel was the target, he jokingly attributed it to its delicious food.
His military aide said yesterday that Gen Prawit had intended the remark only as an aside to reporters.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai extended their condolences to Kenya.
"I have learnt with deep sorrow of the incident concerning a group of armed assailants attacking the Dusit Complex on 15 January 2019, which resulted in the loss of innocent lives and injuries," Gen Prayut wrote to Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.
"On behalf of the Government and the people of Thailand, I wish to extend my deepest sympathy and condolences to Your Excellency, and through you, to the bereaved families of those who were affected by this terrorist act. Thailand remains firmly committed to cooperating closely with the international community in the global fight against terrorism."
To Kenyan Foreign Minister Monica Juma, Mr Don wrote "I am shocked and saddened to learn of the incident concerning a group of armed assailants attacking the Dusit Complex on 15 January 2019.
"During this moment of sorrow and bereavement, please allow me to extend to Your Excellency and the people of the Republic of Kenya my profound condolences for this terrible loss. Thailand wishes to express our commitment to cooperate with the Government and the people of the Republic of Kenya to fight against terrorism."
Men armed with guns and explosives burst into the DusitD2 hotel complex in Nairobi on Tuesday, killing 21 people and injuring others in the attack that ended on Wednesday morning.
Somali Islamist militant group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack and said it was a response to US President Donald Trump's 2017 decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.