The United States has applied pressure on the Thai administration to reaffirm its dedication to a ceasefire agreement with the Cambodian side, stating that trade talks could be paused as efforts are made to prevent a Donald Trump-brokered peace agreement from falling apart.
Earlier this week, Thai officials declared it was suspending the ceasefire deal, accusing Cambodia of laying fresh landmines along the shared border, including one that allegedly injured a Thai soldier on duty, who suffered a foot amputation in the blast.
Since then, one person has been killed and multiple individuals injured by gunfire along the Thai-Cambodia frontier, sparking fears of a fresh wave of retaliatory clashes.
On Saturday, a Thai foreign ministry spokesperson told journalists that a official communication from the U.S. trade office announcing the pause in trade negotiations was received on Friday night.
The spokesperson referenced the document as saying that trade negotiations – which are addressing a 19 percent American duty – could resume once the Thai government reaffirmed its commitment to implementing the joint ceasefire declaration.
“Tariff negotiations will continue and remain separate from border issues,” said another government spokesperson.
Addressing reporters aboard the presidential plane as he flew to Florida on Friday, Trump implied that he had employed tariff warnings in calls with the ASEAN nation heads.
He stated, “Today, I prevented a conflict using tariffs, the menace of duties,” adding, “they’re doing great. I think they’re gonna be fine.”
The President witnessed the finalization of a peace deal, conducted in Malaysian territory this last autumn, and has promoted it as one of multiple agreements around the world he says should earn him the Nobel Peace prize.
The worst fighting in a ten years between military forces of both nations broke out in mid-summer, with gunfire, artillery and airstrikes leaving dozens of people killed and 300,000 displaced.
The two neighboring countries have a longstanding border dispute that originates from conflicts regarding maps from the colonial period created by French cartographers. Historic shrines along the frontier are disputed by each nation.
International news agency contributed to this report.
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