🔗 Share this article Trump Pressures Thailand to Recommit to Cambodia Ceasefire with ‘Threat of Tariffs’ The United States has applied pressure on Thailand to recommit to a truce deal with the Cambodian side, warning that trade talks could be halted as efforts are made to prevent a Trump-mediated peace agreement from falling apart. Rising Border Hostilities Earlier this week, Thailand declared it was putting on hold the truce agreement, accusing Cambodia of laying fresh landmines along the shared border, among them an incident that reportedly wounded a Thai soldier on duty, who suffered a foot amputation in the blast. Following this, one person has been killed and several others wounded by exchanges of fire along the border between the two nations, sparking fears of a fresh wave of tit-for-tat fighting. US Trade Pressure On Saturday, 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 the previous evening. He quoted the letter as stating that trade negotiations – which are addressing a 19 percent American duty – could restart once Thailand reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the mutual truce agreement. “Tariff negotiations will continue and remain separate from border issues,” said a different official representative. President’s Economic Warning Addressing reporters on Air Force One as he traveled to the Sunshine State on Friday, Trump 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.” Truce Deal Origins Trump oversaw the signing of a peace deal, held in Malaysia this last autumn, and has touted it as one of several deals around the world he says should earn him the prestigious peace award. The most severe clashes in a ten years between Thai and Cambodian troops broke out in July, 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 dates back to disagreements over maps from the colonial period created by French cartographers. Historic shrines along the border are claimed by both sides. International news agency provided input for this coverage.