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The first time I visited Cambodia was after the country had been devastated by decades of horror – years of secret bombing by the United States, the terror of the mass murders by the Khmer Rouge, and finally, invasion and occupation by the Vietnamese army. Like unexploded bombs buried just below the surface of a rice field, like left-over mines hidden along the forest paths, each of these traumas continued to have a devastating impact on the society. Peace negotiations had finally resulted in an agreement among the warring factions to create a new way forward, and a commitment by the international community to support them in the rebuilding of the country.

I was there to work with the emerging government to reform the police and legal systems to be more respectful of human rights. In some ways, it felt as if we were starting from the very beginning. The old government, the Khmer Rouge, had destroyed almost everything – they had tried to kill everyone who could read or who wore glasses. One of my first meetings was to be with the members of the Supreme Court, except that no one could tell me where to find them. I spent a whole day searching through the city and I finally found one very elderly man sitting beside a single filing cabinet under a shady tree in someone’s back garden. He was the Supreme Court…

Derek Evans' profile page

Derek Evans has served two terms as Deputy Secretary General of Amnesty International, and has led more than 70 international delegations conducting human rights investigations or peace negotiations. He was formerly Executive Director of the Naramata Centre, one of Canada's foremost experiential learning institutes.

Evans is a regular political columnist, and is the author or co-author of some 14 books. Previous titles published by Wood Lake Publishing include The Light and the Burning (1982) and Before the War (2004). More of his work can be found at www.derekgevans.com.

In his human rights work, Derek has seen real suffering. For Derek, a bad day is when prisoners of conscience are executed, or people are tortured. Yet he is able to remain hopeful, and help us all work towards reconciliation and justice. He reminds us of the power that each of us have to make a difference with our lives. Derek Evans is an "ambassador of hope and commitment," who illuminates the connections that bind us all together as people.

Professor Amir Hussain, Department of Theological Studies, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles

An invitation to sit for a while with stories from a great peacemaker. If you accept this invitation, prepare to be informed, shocked, and inspired. This powerful book will change how you image the world is, and how the world can be.

Carolyn Pogue, author of After the Beginning