During Cambodia's bloody revolution that raged during the early 1970s, one of the world's cruelest despots, Pol Pot, ordered his forces to commit genocide on his own people. Almost a quarter of the population -- two million -- were murdered or died. Many of those left behind were young children who were then conscripted to become soldiers for the Khmer Rouge. Aki Ra was only nine years old when he was forced to become a Khmer Rouge soldier, first fighting against the Vietnamese and then later, for them. As a soldier for both sides, Ra helped plant thousands of deadly land mines. Now, more than 20 years later, he is determined to make amends to his countrymen by working to diffuse and clear as many of these active land mines that he can.

Lucky Severson travels to Cambodia to talk with Ra about his efforts and how he is helping educate both Cambodians and visitors about the ever-present danger of land mines. According to Ra, although more than 10 million land mines are still strewn around 1,300 square miles of Cambodia, many people do not understand the risks: "The village people say here that a lot of people come to dig the ground to grow the banana and then blow up land mines -- some killed, some injured -- many times here."

Read more about Cambodia's civil war at: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week641/cover.html

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week647/cover.html