🔗 Share this article The US President Pressures the Thai government to Reaffirm Commitment to Cambodia Ceasefire with Tariff Warnings The United States has applied pressure on Thailand to reaffirm its dedication to a ceasefire agreement with the Cambodian side, stating that trade talks could be suspended as attempts are made to prevent a Donald Trump-brokered peace agreement from falling apart. Rising Border Hostilities In recent days, Thai officials announced it was suspending the truce agreement, alleging Cambodian forces of planting new explosives along the shared border, among them an incident that allegedly wounded a Thai soldier on patrol, who suffered a foot amputation in the blast. Following this, one person has been killed and multiple individuals injured by gunfire along the Thai-Cambodia frontier, raising concerns of a fresh wave of tit-for-tat fighting. American Economic Leverage On Saturday, a representative from Thailand's foreign office told journalists that a letter from the U.S. trade office announcing the suspension of trade deal talks was received on Friday night. The spokesperson referenced the letter as stating that trade negotiations – which are addressing a 19 percent American duty – could restart once the Thai government renewed its pledge to carrying out the mutual truce agreement. “Tariff negotiations will continue and remain separate from border issues,” stated another government spokesperson. Trump’s Tariff Threat Addressing reporters on Air Force One as he flew to Florida on Friday, the US leader 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 Trump oversaw the signing of a peace deal, conducted in Malaysian territory this October, and has touted it as one of multiple agreements around the world he says should earn 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 longstanding border dispute that originates from conflicts regarding colonial-era maps created by French cartographers. Historic shrines along the border are claimed by both sides. Reuters provided input for this coverage.