Beat Richner vividly remembers when chaos took over in Cambodia. In 1975 he was a young pediatrician working with the Red Cross at a hospital in Phnom Penh, when rockets began striking the capital. The Khmer Rouge seized power, and Richner was forced to return home to Switzerland.

In 1991, when the civil war finally came to an end, Cambodia's king personally invited Richner to help rebuild the nation's devastated hospitals. Richner returned with more than expert medical knowledge — he also brought his cello.

Reporter Jason Strother brings us this story from Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Encore presentation from February 7, 2009.

Music for this show ...