🔗 Share this article The US President Pressures Thailand to Reaffirm Commitment to Cambodia Ceasefire with Tariff Warnings The United States has applied pressure on Thailand to reaffirm its dedication to a truce deal with the Cambodian side, warning that trade talks could be suspended as efforts are made to stop a Donald Trump-brokered peace agreement from falling apart. Border Tensions Escalate Earlier this week, Thai officials announced it was putting on hold the truce agreement, alleging Cambodia of planting new explosives along the shared border, among them an incident that allegedly wounded a Thai military personnel on patrol, who lost a foot in the blast. Since then, a fatality occurred and several others wounded by exchanges of fire along the border between the two nations, raising concerns of a fresh wave of tit-for-tat fighting. US Trade Pressure Over the weekend, a Thai foreign ministry spokesperson told journalists that a official communication from the U.S. trade office announcing the suspension of trade deal talks was obtained on the previous evening. He quoted the document as saying that trade negotiations – which are focusing on a US tariff of 19% – could resume once the Thai government reaffirmed its commitment to carrying out the joint ceasefire declaration. “Trade talks are ongoing and distinct from frontier matters,” said another government spokesperson. President’s Economic Warning Addressing reporters on Air Force One as he flew to Florida on the end of the week, the US leader suggested that he had employed tariff warnings in discussions with the ASEAN nation heads. 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 touted it as one of several deals around the globe he claims should win him the Nobel Peace prize. The worst fighting in a decade between Thai and Cambodian troops erupted in July, with gunfire, artillery and airstrikes causing numerous fatalities and 300,000 displaced. Historic Frontier Conflict The two neighboring countries have a historic territorial disagreement that originates from conflicts regarding maps from the colonial period drawn up by the French. Historic shrines along the frontier are disputed by each nation. International news agency contributed to this report.