🔗 Share this article Trump Urges the Thai government to Recommit to Cambodia Ceasefire with Trade Penalties Washington has exerted influence on Thailand to reaffirm its dedication to a truce deal with Cambodia, stating that trade talks could be paused as efforts are made to prevent a Donald Trump-brokered ceasefire arrangement from collapsing. Border Tensions Escalate In recent days, Thailand declared it was putting on hold the ceasefire deal, alleging Cambodian forces of planting new explosives along the shared border, including one that allegedly injured a Thai military personnel on duty, who suffered a foot amputation in the explosion. Since then, a fatality occurred and several others wounded by gunfire along the Thai-Cambodia frontier, sparking fears of a new round of retaliatory clashes. American Economic Leverage On Saturday, a Thai foreign ministry spokesperson informed reporters that a letter from the U.S. trade office announcing the suspension of trade deal talks was obtained on Friday night. The spokesperson referenced the letter as stating that discussions on trade – which are focusing on a 19 percent American duty – could resume once the Thai government renewed its pledge to implementing the mutual truce agreement. “Tariff negotiations will continue and remain separate from border issues,” said another government spokesperson. President’s Economic Warning Addressing reporters on Air Force One as he traveled to the Sunshine State on the end of the week, Trump suggested that he had employed tariff warnings in calls with the ASEAN nation heads. He stated, “I stopped a war just today through the use of tariffs, the threat of tariffs,” adding, “they are performing well. I believe they will be okay.” Ceasefire Agreement Background Trump oversaw the signing of a ceasefire agreement, held in Malaysia this last autumn, and has promoted it as one of several deals around the globe he says should win him the Nobel Peace prize. The most severe clashes in a ten years between Thai and Cambodian troops broke out in mid-summer, with exchanges of fire, shelling and aerial attacks leaving dozens of people killed and 300,000 displaced. Historic Frontier Conflict The two neighboring countries have a longstanding border dispute that originates from conflicts regarding maps from the colonial period created by French cartographers. Ancient temples along the border are disputed by each nation. International news agency provided input for this coverage.