Lee Kuan Yew recovering<\/p>\n
SINGAPORE (AFP): Former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew underwent
\nsuccessful treatment for a heart problem here yesterday and was
\nrecovering in intensive care, a government statement said.<\/p>\n
The 72-year-old elder statesman had checked into the Singapore
\nGeneral Hospital on Friday after complaining of chest pains.<\/p>\n
A procedure known as balloon angioplasty was carried out
\nyesterday and \"successfully opened up\" two areas of \"significant
\nnarrowing\" in one coronary artery with no complications, said the
\nstatement from Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong's office.<\/p>\n
The procedure involves using a tube with a balloon tip to
\nclear narrowed arteries, which could lead to a heart attack if
\nunchecked.<\/p>\n
The functions of Lee's heart were \"completely normal with no
\nevidence of muscle damage,\" the statement said.<\/p>\n
\"Senior Minister was transferred to the Cardio-Thoracic
\nIntensive Care Unit where he will be under observation and close
\nmonitoring for the next 24 hours,\" the government statement said,
\nusing Lee's cabinet title.<\/p>\n
Lee stepped down as premier in 1990 in favor of Goh, his
\nhandpicked successor, after governing the city-state with an iron
\nhand for three decades, turning it from a sleepy British colonial
\nport into an Asian economic power.<\/p>\n
An earlier statement said Lee, whose brief official profile
\nlists jogging and swimming as his forms of recreation, \"has been
\nhaving chest pains during exercise the past few days.\"<\/p>\n
News of Lee's hospitalization came amid expectations of a
\ngeneral election this year, which his People's Action Party
\n(PAP), in power for nearly 37 years now, is expected to win
\nhandily.<\/p>\n
Lee has not declared whether he will stand for reelection as
\nan MP.<\/p>\n
Lee was in the news earlier this week after revealing he had
\nmild dyslexia, a learning disorder that causes reading
\ndifficulties. He said he was diagnosed as having the problem 10
\nyears ago.<\/p>\n
Singapore's top leadership has been hit by ailments in recent
\nyears.<\/p>\n
President Ong Teng Cheong, 59, underwent five weeks of
\nradiotherapy late last year for lymphoma, a form of cancer. He
\nhas resumed public duties after the apparently successful
\ntreatment.<\/p>\n
Lee's 43-year-old son, Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong,
\nwas diagnosed as suffering from lymphoma in 1992 at the same time
\nas Ong, at the time also a deputy prime minister, delivering a
\ndouble shock to Singapore.<\/p>\n
The younger Lee temporarily relinquished his official posts
\nbut after treatment rejoined the cabinet. He now oversees the
\ntrade and industry ministry and is seen as a potential successor
\nto Goh.<\/p>",
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