Trump Urges the Thai government to Recommit to Cambodian Ceasefire with ‘Threat of Tariffs’
The United States has applied pressure on the Thai administration to reaffirm its dedication to a truce deal with the Cambodian side, indicating that trade talks could be halted as efforts are made to stop a Trump-mediated ceasefire arrangement from falling apart.
Rising Border Hostilities
In recent days, Thailand declared it was putting on hold the truce agreement, alleging Cambodia of laying fresh landmines along the shared border, among them an incident that allegedly injured a Thai soldier on duty, who lost a foot in the blast.
Following this, one person has been killed and several others wounded by gunfire along the border between the two nations, sparking fears of a fresh wave of retaliatory clashes.
US Trade Pressure
Over the weekend, a Thai foreign ministry spokesperson told journalists that a official communication from the U.S. trade office declaring the pause in trade negotiations was obtained on Friday night.
He quoted the document as stating that discussions on trade – which are addressing a 19 percent American duty – could restart once Thailand renewed its pledge to implementing the joint ceasefire declaration.
“Trade talks are ongoing and distinct from frontier matters,” said another government spokesperson.
Trump’s Tariff Threat
Addressing reporters aboard the presidential plane as he traveled to the Sunshine State on the end of the week, Trump suggested that he had employed tariff warnings in discussions with the south-east Asian leaders.
The US president said, “I stopped a war just today through the use of tariffs, the threat of tariffs,” adding, “they’re doing great. I think they’re gonna be fine.”
Ceasefire Agreement Background
Trump oversaw the signing of a ceasefire agreement, conducted in Malaysian territory this October, and has promoted it as one of multiple agreements around the globe he claims should earn him the Nobel Peace prize.
The most severe clashes in a ten years between military forces of both nations erupted in July, with gunfire, artillery and airstrikes leaving dozens of people killed and 300,000 displaced.
Historic Frontier Conflict
Thailand and Cambodia have a longstanding border dispute that dates back to disagreements over colonial-era maps created by French cartographers. Historic shrines along the frontier are disputed by each nation.
Reuters contributed to this report.
