🔗 Share this article The US President Pressures Thailand to Reaffirm Commitment to Cambodian Truce with Trade Penalties Washington has exerted influence on Thailand to reaffirm its dedication to a ceasefire agreement with the Cambodian side, stating that trade negotiations could be paused as attempts are made to prevent a Donald Trump-brokered ceasefire arrangement from falling apart. Border Tensions Escalate In recent days, Thailand announced it was suspending the ceasefire deal, accusing Cambodia of planting new explosives along the shared border, among them an incident that reportedly injured a Thai soldier on patrol, 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 tit-for-tat fighting. American Economic Leverage Over the weekend, a Thai foreign ministry spokesperson informed reporters that a official communication from the Office of the US Trade Representative announcing the pause in trade negotiations was obtained on Friday night. The spokesperson referenced the document as stating that discussions on trade – which are focusing on a 19 percent American duty – could resume once Thailand reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the mutual truce agreement. “Trade talks are ongoing and distinct from frontier matters,” said another government spokesperson. President’s Economic Warning Addressing reporters aboard the presidential plane as he flew to Florida on Friday, Trump suggested that he had used the “threat of tariffs” in calls 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 are performing well. I believe they will be okay.” Truce Deal Origins The President witnessed the finalization of a peace deal, conducted in Malaysian territory this October, and has promoted it as one of several deals around the world he claims should win him the Nobel Peace prize. The worst fighting in a decade between military forces of both nations erupted in mid-summer, with exchanges of fire, shelling and aerial attacks leaving dozens of people killed and hundreds of thousands forced to flee. Historic Frontier Conflict Thailand and Cambodia have a historic territorial disagreement that dates back to disagreements over colonial-era maps created by French cartographers. Ancient temples along the border are disputed by each nation. Reuters provided input for this coverage.