The Sieve of Angkar

Sovannara Ky

Swept from their industrious life of learning and enterprise in Phnom Penh, the Ky family was driven, along with millions of others, into the Cambodian countryside to fulfil Pol Pot’s vision of a communist, agrarian society. Angkar, not a person or a political party but rather a goal, a zeal for the Communist ideal, a name for the collective effort, replaced the warm family life the Kys had thrived in. With an army consisting largely of illiterate, impoverished youth, easily incited to gratuitous, hateful violence against the relatively wealthy city dwellers, in the pattern of Stalin and Mao, Angkar began reshaping Khmer agriculture with forced labour. No measure of terror or bloodletting was spared for the sake of the goal. All the accomplished, influential people were sifted out so as not to spoil Angkar with their experience or education. Employing barbarism so alien to the gentle Khmers, who hardly knew what was happening, Angkar stumbled along fruitlessly until the military intervention by neighbouring Viet Nam ended the insanity and brought it all to light. This is the incredible, true story of the faith, endurance and courage it took to survive and escape THE SIEVE OF ANGKAR.