In late 1979 the ICRC and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) began a vast relief operation for the people of Cambodia, threatened by famine. Thirty years on, François Bugnion, the first ICRC delegate to return to Cambodia after the genocide, talks of his experiences there.

Cambodians suffered almost continuous war, deadly political clashes and violence between 1969 and 1999. Hundreds of thousands lost their lives and millions were forced to leave their homes. In 1979, the ICRC launched one of its biggest relief operations ever in cooperation with UNICEF, providing food to tens of thousands. This operational update covers the period January-October 2009.

The ICRC first operated in Cambodia between 1965 and 1975, working in close cooperation with the Cambodian Red Cross Society to provide assistance and protection to civilians affected by armed conflict. The ICRC returned to the country in 1979 and has been operational ever since. Currently, the organization focuses on detainee welfare and physical rehabilitation for the victims of mines and unexploded remnants of war.

Despite the enormous efforts made during the past 12 years to rid Cambodia of the scourge of mines and other explosive remnants of war, several hundred people continue to be maimed or killed by these weapons in the country every year.

A round-up of activities carried out by the ICRC in Thailand, Cambodia, Viet Nam and Laos (November 2009).

The years of domination by the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia have left the country and its memory, but also its cultural heritage, permanently scarred. This article shows with reference to an actual situation what the effects of armed conflict on a country’s cultural property can be, while at the same time demonstrating how the legal instruments devised to protect it can be applied and play a crucial role in the preservation of cultural heritage.

Mom Phireak is Programme Coordinator for Mine Risk Education/Risk Reduction at the Cambodian Red Cross (CRC) in Phnom Penh. In 2005, at Mom's instigation, the CRC started an innovative micro-credit project to support the economic integration of people who are vulnerable to landmines and other explosive remnants. He spoke with Claudia McGoldrick about the project and its success.

In late 1979, as a massive assistance operation got underway for survivors of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime, the ICRC took a film crew to the devastated country, to show the desperate situation and what was being done to help. This video (shot on 16mm film) shows the situation in Cambodia itself and across the border in Thailand, where many Khmers had taken shelter.

Khmer Rouge Genocide Tribunal