Trump urges Thailand to recommit to ceasefire with Cambodia, threatens to halt trade talks – Firstpost

As tensions between the two countries increased, US President Donald Trump pressured Thailand to recommit to the ceasefire agreement with Cambodia. Trump warned that trade talks with Thailand could be halted as Washington seeks to prevent the Trump-brokered ceasefire agreement from breaking up.

The warning comes just days after Thailand said it was suspending a ceasefire agreement after accusing Cambodia of laying new mines along the border. Thai officials claimed that these landmines injured a Thai soldier on patrol, who lost a leg in the blast. Since then, one person has been killed and several others injured in gunfire on the Thai-Cambodia border.

On Saturday, Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Nikornadze Balankura told reporters he had received a letter from the office of the US Trade Representative announcing the suspension of trade deal talks on Friday night. He quoted the letter as saying that trade talks dealing with 19 percent US tariffs on Thai goods could only be resumed if Thailand reaffirms its commitment to fulfill the joint ceasefire declaration.

Thailand remains optimistic

Meanwhile, another government spokesman, Siripong Angkasakulkiat, told reporters later on Saturday that the temporary suspension came ahead of a call between Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Trump late Friday. “Tariff negotiations will continue and remain separate from border issues,” Siripong clarified.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One while flying to Florida on Friday, Trump suggested he had used the “threat of tariffs” in a call with Southeast Asian leaders. “I just stopped a war today through the use of tariffs, the threat of tariffs,” Trump said. He added, “They’re doing great. I think they’re going to be OK.”

Following the call between the two leaders, Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Nikornadze said that Prime Minister Anutin explained the matter to Trump on his call, “who expressed understanding about the issue”. It is pertinent to note that it was Trump who oversaw the signing of the ceasefire agreement held in Malaysia this October.

The Thailand-Cambodia conflict is one of the issues Trump is talking about solving if he wants to win the Nobel Peace Prize next year. The worst fighting in a decade began between Thai and Cambodian troops in July, with gunfire, artillery and air strikes killing dozens and displacing 300,000. The two countries have a long-running border dispute, which stems from a disagreement over colonial-era maps drawn by the French. Not only this, both sides also claim ancient temples on the border.

With inputs from Reuters.