Border closed against Khmer Rouge trade

PHNOM PENH (Reuter) - Thai troops manned checkpoints on the border with Khmer Rouge-held Cambodia yesterday to shut down the logging trade in line with United Nations sanctions placed on the guerrillas in November after they reneged on an agreement to end the country's 13-year civil war.

The sanctions began one day after the Khmer Rouge launched its most serious attack on UN peace-keepers since they deployed in Cambodia. Forty-five UN troops and civilian staff were evacuated on Thursday after mortar barrages kept them pinned in their bunkers in north-western Siem Reap province for most of the day.

The bans on exports of logs, which have earned the Khmer Rouge a fortune through deals with Thai companies, and imports of oil were imposed by the UN Security Council because of the guerrillas' refusal to comply with the peace accord signed in October 1991.