Bangkok: British media reports suggest that former U.S. President Donald Trump is employing tariff threats as a means to pressure Thailand into adhering to its ceasefire agreement with Cambodia.
According to Thai News Agency, a British media outlet, the U.S. has warned Thailand that ongoing trade negotiations could be halted unless Thailand commits to maintaining the ceasefire that Trump helped broker.
Earlier this week, Thailand announced it had suspended the ceasefire, accusing Cambodia of laying new landmines along their shared border. This accusation followed an incident where a Thai soldier lost a leg during a patrol, and a clash that resulted in one fatality and several injuries, heightening fears of renewed conflict. A Thai Foreign Ministry spokesperson reported that the U.S. Trade Representative’s office had communicated its intent to suspend trade negotiations with Thailand, indicating that a 19 percent tariff could be imposed unless Thailand reaffirmed its commitment to the ceasefire.
The Thai government later clarified that the trade negotiation suspension occurred before Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul’s call with the U.S. president, suggesting that tariff discussions would proceed independently of the border dispute. Meanwhile, Trump, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, claimed to have halted the conflict by leveraging tariff threats and expressed optimism that the leaders of Thailand and Cambodia would resolve the situation positively.