via CAAI News Media
By SOPHENG CHEANG,Associated Press
PONGROR, Cambodia – Cambodia successfully tested a multiple rocket launcher Thursday, the country's defense minister said, in a show of force that comes amid simmering tensions with its neighbor Thailand.
Some 200 rounds from the Soviet-made, BM-21 rocket launcher were fired in the mountains of remote Kampong Chhnang province, some 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of the capital Phnom Penh.
Defense Minister Tea Banh said the launch of the truck-mounted, 122-mm rockets was part of ongoing efforts to protect Cambodia's territory.
"The firing was not to prepare for war with any neighboring country, rather we want to see the quality and the efficiency of those rockets," Tea Banh said.
Last week, Prime Minister Hun Sen said the launch was a routine military drill and not intended to demonstrate Cambodia's military muscle.
Relations between Cambodia and Thailand have been strained over the status of a historic temple along a disputed border. Both sides have repeatedly rushed troops to the area, which resulted in several gunbattles.
Thailand was also angered last year when Cambodia named fugitive former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra as an adviser on economic affairs. The subsequent visit by Thaksin, and Cambodia's rejection of a formal request from Bangkok to extradite him, drew a negative reaction from Bangkok.
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