Trump Urges Thailand to Reaffirm Commitment to Cambodia Truce with ‘Threat of Tariffs’
Washington has exerted influence on the Thai administration to reaffirm its dedication to a ceasefire agreement with the Cambodian side, stating that trade negotiations could be paused as efforts are made to stop a Donald Trump-brokered peace agreement from falling apart.
Rising Border Hostilities
Earlier this week, Thai officials announced it was suspending the ceasefire deal, alleging Cambodian forces of laying fresh landmines along the shared border, among them an incident that allegedly injured a Thai military personnel on patrol, who suffered a foot amputation in the blast.
Following this, one person has been killed and several others wounded by exchanges of fire along the Thai-Cambodia frontier, sparking fears of a new round of tit-for-tat fighting.
American Economic Leverage
On Saturday, a Thai foreign ministry spokesperson informed reporters that a official communication from the U.S. trade office announcing the suspension of trade deal talks was received on the previous evening.
He quoted the letter as saying that discussions on trade – which are focusing on a US tariff of 19% – could restart once the Thai government renewed its pledge to implementing the mutual truce agreement.
“Trade talks are ongoing and distinct from frontier matters,” stated a different official representative.
Trump’s Tariff Threat
Addressing reporters aboard the presidential plane as he flew to Florida on Friday, Trump implied that he had employed tariff warnings in calls with the ASEAN nation heads.
The US president said, “I stopped a war just today through the use of tariffs, the threat of tariffs,” adding, “they are performing well. I believe they will be okay.”
Truce Deal Origins
Trump oversaw the signing of a peace deal, conducted in Malaysian territory this last autumn, and has touted it as one of multiple agreements around the globe he says should win him the prestigious peace award.
The most severe clashes in a decade between military forces of both nations broke out in July, with exchanges of fire, shelling and aerial attacks causing numerous fatalities and hundreds of thousands forced to flee.
Historic Frontier Conflict
Thailand and Cambodia have a longstanding border dispute that dates back to disagreements over colonial-era maps created by French cartographers. Ancient temples along the frontier are disputed by each nation.
Reuters contributed to this report.
