🔗 Share this article Trump Compels the Thai government to Reaffirm Commitment to Cambodian Truce with ‘Threat of Tariffs’ Washington has exerted influence on Thailand to reaffirm its dedication to a ceasefire agreement with Cambodia, stating that trade talks could be paused as attempts are made to prevent a Donald Trump-brokered ceasefire arrangement from falling apart. Rising Border Hostilities Earlier this week, Thai officials announced it was putting on hold the ceasefire deal, alleging Cambodian forces 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. Since then, one person has been killed and several others wounded by gunfire along the Thai-Cambodia frontier, raising concerns of a fresh wave of retaliatory clashes. American Economic Leverage Over the weekend, a Thai foreign ministry spokesperson informed reporters that a letter from the Office of the US Trade Representative declaring the suspension of trade deal talks was received on the previous evening. The spokesperson referenced the letter as saying that trade negotiations – which are addressing a 19 percent American duty – could resume once the Thai government renewed its pledge to carrying out the joint ceasefire declaration. “Trade talks are ongoing and distinct from frontier matters,” stated a different official representative. President’s Economic Warning Addressing reporters on Air Force One as he traveled to the Sunshine State on the end of the week, Trump implied that he had used the “threat of tariffs” 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,” continuing, “they’re doing great. I think they’re gonna be fine.” Ceasefire Agreement Background The President witnessed the finalization of a peace deal, conducted in Malaysian territory this last autumn, and has promoted it as one of multiple agreements around the world he claims should win him the Nobel Peace prize. The worst fighting in a ten years between Thai and Cambodian troops broke out in July, with gunfire, artillery and airstrikes leaving dozens of people killed and hundreds of thousands forced to flee. Historic Frontier Conflict Thailand and Cambodia have a historic territorial disagreement that originates from disagreements over maps from the colonial period created by French cartographers. Historic shrines along the border are disputed by each nation. Reuters provided input for this coverage.