World

Suharto Gets Pacemaker

June 12, 2001 / 9:17 AM EDT / AP

Surgeons implanted a pacemaker in former dictator Suharto on Wednesday, a day after he was brought to the hospital with low blood pressure and an irregular heart beat.

Doctors at Jakarta's state-run Pertamina Hospital said the 30-minute procedure was a success and that the 80-year-old former president was in stable condition.

"He will stay in the hospital for two or three more days for observation." said Miftah Suryadipraja, a doctor at the hospital.

On Tuesday, doctors initially described his condition as critical when he was brought in after collapsing at his home. However, he stabilized after being treated with a temporary external pacemaker that brought his heartbeat under control.

Following the improvement, it was decided that a permanent internal pacemaker should be fitted, said Suryadipraja.

Suharto ruled Indonesia for 32 years and remains under the shadow of allegations of massive corruption.

Labor Unrest

Protests broke out in four cities as Indonesians demonstrated against new labor laws.

Police fired warning shots to disperse about 3,000 protesters and set up roadblocks on the outskirts of Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city.

In a separate protest there, another 3,000 workers threw rocks at police, who fired tear gas.

In the capital, Jakarta, demonstrators threw rocks and chunks of wood at police protecting the presidential palace.

In the Javanese city of Bandung, about 10,000 workers threw rocks at the local legislature and set fire to 18 cars and 11 motorcycles, police said.

About 1,000 workers held a peaceful rally in the town of Lubuk Pakam.

The workers were protesting against recent decrees abolishing severance and service payments for retiring and resigning workers.
(AP, Reuters)

Forced from office by riots and protests in 1998, he is accused of stealing millions in state funds. However, he has evaded prosecution by claiming that a series of strokes suffered after his downfall has left him too ill and brain damaged to face trial.

Suharto's latest health scare came just days after Indonesia's new Attorney General Baharudin Lopa said he would renew efforts to prosecute the old leader.

Suharto's opponents accuse him of amassing a fortune for himself and his family during his long reign that was also marred by human rights abuses. Suharto maintains that he is innocent of any wrongdoing.

Lat year, judges dismissed a $600 million corruption case against Suharto after doctors testified that he was unfit to face prosecution.

His lawyers claimed he could not answer detailed questions because the strokes had affected his memory. He also suffered from a range of physical ailments, including high blood pressure and kidney problems.

As an army general, Suharto drove out Indonesia's founding President Sukarno in 1966. His iron rule lasted until 1998, when he was ousted amid riots and pro-democracy protests.

Since then, Suharto has spent most of his time in seclusion at home, where his aides say he usually reads newspapers and watches television.

President Abdurrahman Wahid became the nation's first democratically chosen leader in 1999.

Ironically, Wahid, who promised to bring Suharto to justice, is now facing corruption allegations of his own and is scheduled to be impeached by Indonesia's national assembly in August.