blackpea
05-20-2006, 03:37 PM
Ailing former dictator Suharto has undergone his third operation in a fortnight and remains in a critical situation, doctors said.
Doctors at the Pertamina hospital said they had conducted surgery to remove blood clots which threatened to cause infections.
The clots had formed below the skin close to the site of last week's intestinal operation.
"During the procedure we didn't find anything unsual but the critical stage is not over yet," Adji Suprajitno, one of the doctors treating Suharto, told a press conference at the hospital.
Doctors said blood was not flowing well into Suharto's brain, causing some damage to brain cells.
"Some brain cells have died, which will be difficult to regenerate, and it has caused spasms," said another doctor, Joko Rahardjo.
Doctors refused to rule out further complications for the former leader.
"We will monitor him continually but we don't know yet if there will be more bleeding," said surgeon Hermansyur.
Earlier Friday morning President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his wife Kristiani Herawati called on Suharto at the hospital, where the former leader has been treated since May 4.
Afterwards he described his condition as "serious".
"This is for the sake of humanism and brotherhood among us," Yudhoyono told reporters who asked about the visit.
Suharto, 84, was rushed to hospital following intestinal bleeding and has since undergone surgery twice on his digestive system.
He has been hospitalised several times since he stepped down amid mounting unrest in 1998 after ruling Indonesia with an iron grip for more than three decades.
A corruption case against Suharto, who is accused of embezzling billions of dollars of state assets during his 32-year rule, was dropped last Friday due to his deteriorating health, sparking outrage among many activists.
Lawyers and rights activists said Wednesday they would file a class action lawsuit next week against the attorney general's office for its decision to abandon the case.
Activists have also demanded Suharto be tried for rights abuses during his military-backed rule.
Yudhoyono won Indonesia's first direct presidential election in 2004 on pledges to root out endemic corruption and uphold the rule of law.
Doctors at the Pertamina hospital said they had conducted surgery to remove blood clots which threatened to cause infections.
The clots had formed below the skin close to the site of last week's intestinal operation.
"During the procedure we didn't find anything unsual but the critical stage is not over yet," Adji Suprajitno, one of the doctors treating Suharto, told a press conference at the hospital.
Doctors said blood was not flowing well into Suharto's brain, causing some damage to brain cells.
"Some brain cells have died, which will be difficult to regenerate, and it has caused spasms," said another doctor, Joko Rahardjo.
Doctors refused to rule out further complications for the former leader.
"We will monitor him continually but we don't know yet if there will be more bleeding," said surgeon Hermansyur.
Earlier Friday morning President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and his wife Kristiani Herawati called on Suharto at the hospital, where the former leader has been treated since May 4.
Afterwards he described his condition as "serious".
"This is for the sake of humanism and brotherhood among us," Yudhoyono told reporters who asked about the visit.
Suharto, 84, was rushed to hospital following intestinal bleeding and has since undergone surgery twice on his digestive system.
He has been hospitalised several times since he stepped down amid mounting unrest in 1998 after ruling Indonesia with an iron grip for more than three decades.
A corruption case against Suharto, who is accused of embezzling billions of dollars of state assets during his 32-year rule, was dropped last Friday due to his deteriorating health, sparking outrage among many activists.
Lawyers and rights activists said Wednesday they would file a class action lawsuit next week against the attorney general's office for its decision to abandon the case.
Activists have also demanded Suharto be tried for rights abuses during his military-backed rule.
Yudhoyono won Indonesia's first direct presidential election in 2004 on pledges to root out endemic corruption and uphold the rule of law.