Defense Ministry spokesman Chhum Sucheat said on Monday that 10 tanks being transported from the north to the south of Phnom Penh on Sunday night were on the way to be repaired, but would not say where they went.
At about 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, social media users recorded video of the tanks being moved on trucks south along Hanoi Street, which links the city’s north with Russian Boulevard, and they were later seen in the “Chamka Dong” area of Dangkao district at about 9 p.m.
“We were just bringing them for maintenance and repairs for when we need them at any necessary time,” General Sucheat said, declining to say where the tanks went. “There were no problems or surprises,” he said.
Last week, a fleet of tanks and armored personnel carriers were moved from Preah Vihear temple near the Thai border to a base about 45 km west of Phnom Penh.
Gen. Sucheat also cited repairs at the time, while another official cited military exercises and also denied claims there was any link to Sunday’s funeral procession for slain political analyst Kem Ley.
