Trump Urges the Thai government to Reaffirm Commitment to Cambodian Ceasefire with ‘Threat of Tariffs’
The United States has applied pressure on Thailand to recommit to a ceasefire agreement with the Cambodian side, warning that trade negotiations could be paused as attempts are made to prevent a Donald Trump-brokered ceasefire arrangement from collapsing.
Border Tensions Escalate
Earlier this week, Thailand declared it was putting on hold the truce agreement, accusing Cambodia of planting new explosives along the shared border, among them an incident that allegedly wounded a Thai military personnel on duty, who lost a foot in the explosion.
Since then, one person has been killed and several others wounded by gunfire along the Thai-Cambodia frontier, sparking fears of a fresh wave of retaliatory clashes.
US Trade Pressure
Over the weekend, 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 obtained on Friday night.
He quoted the document as saying that discussions on trade – which are focusing on a 19 percent American duty – could resume once Thailand reaffirmed its commitment to carrying out the mutual truce agreement.
“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 flew to Florida on the end of the week, the US leader 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’re doing great. I think they’re gonna be fine.”
Truce Deal Origins
The President witnessed the finalization of a peace deal, conducted in Malaysian territory this October, and has touted it as one of multiple agreements around the globe he claims should earn him the prestigious peace award.
The worst fighting in a ten years between military forces of both nations erupted in mid-summer, with exchanges of fire, shelling and aerial attacks causing numerous fatalities and hundreds of thousands forced to flee.
Longstanding Border Dispute
The two neighboring countries have a longstanding border dispute that originates from conflicts regarding colonial-era maps drawn up by the French. Historic shrines along the frontier are disputed by each nation.
International news agency provided input for this coverage.
