Soeharto told to stay in hospital<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Doctors have told former president Soeharto to
\nspend five to six days at Pertamina Hospital in South Jakarta to
\nrecover from his mild stroke, hospital director Sudjono
\nMartoatmodjo announced on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\"For his recovery, the doctors want him to stay here at the
\nhospital for five or six more days,\" he told a press conference
\nat the hospital.<\/p>\n
According to Sudjono, the 78-year-old former ruler is
\nconscious and his condition has been \"improving\".<\/p>\n
\"His chances of recovering from his illness are more than 50
\npercent.\"<\/p>\n
Soeharto is able to communicate with other people, he said.<\/p>\n
Sudjono's announcement put to rest some of the speculation
\nover the former autocrat's health.<\/p>\n
When Soeharto was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday afternoon,
\nhospital spokesman Syahrir Mohammad and many of Soeharto's close
\nrelatives and friends repeatedly said that he was at the hospital
\nmerely for a \"routine general check up\".<\/p>\n
According to Sudjono, the doctors have not yet allowed their
\npatient to sit or receive any of his guests.<\/p>\n
\"He needs a rest,\" he explained.<\/p>\n
The hospital's director said a CT scan had revealed a clogged
\nblood vessel in the former strongman's brain. Soeharto had
\ncomplained of headaches.<\/p>\n
The team of doctors, led by cardiologist Ibrahim Ginting and
\nincluding neurosurgeon Satyanagara and neurologists Joko Rahardjo
\nand Teguh Pranakusuma, would try to expedite the blood flow in
\nthe blood vessel, he said.<\/p>\n
\"It's not a blood vessel bleeding, but only a clog. It doesn't
\nneed surgery.\"<\/p>\n
Stating the former strongman's age as one of the main factors
\nof his illness, Sudjono believed that \"most mild stroke sufferers
\nrecover\".<\/p>\n
\"Several factors that caused the mild stroke include age, high
\nblood pressure, the smoking habit and psychological condition of
\nthe patient,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He added that people suffering from light strokes caused by
\npsychological factors would only need about one week to recover.<\/p>\n
Although Soeharto's illness was still the top issue of the day
\nin the country on Wednesday, it had almost no effect on financial
\nmarkets. The rupiah remained stable against other currencies.<\/p>\n
During his second day in the VVIP room on the sixth floor of
\nthe hospital on Wednesday, crowds of reporters stood vigil
\noutside the hospital as well-wishers and flower deliveries were
\nushered in through a separate door.<\/p>\n
Among them were leading politicians, including some long-term
\ncritics of the former strongman, such as Amien Rais and Kwik Kian
\nGie.<\/p>\n
However, many people were not given access by Soeharto's close
\naides to meet the former iron-fisted ruler.<\/p>\n
According to Kwik, now an executive of the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), he did not expect to see
\nSoeharto but merely wanted to deliver his sympathy through his
\naides.<\/p>\n
\"It happens that I know his children well so I come to send my
\nwishes,\" Kwik said as he left the hospital.<\/p>\n
Amien Rais, chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN), said
\nhe expected the former president to be well soon.<\/p>\n
\"I hope that he'll soon recover and help settle the problems
\nof the nation,\" Amien told reporters later at the Muhammadiyah
\nMuslim organization secretariat on Jl. Menteng Raya in Central
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
However, he implied that Soeharto should ask for the public's
\nforgiveness for all his past mistakes.<\/p>\n
\"Half of the problems can be settled if he asks for
\nforgiveness from the people,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Even controversial figure Abdurrahman Wahid, chairman of the
\nlargest Muslim organization Nadhlatul Ulama, who still has a
\nclose relationship with Soeharto, was not allowed to meet with
\nthe former president.<\/p>\n
Among the great number of figures that showed up at the
\nhospital on Wednesday were former president Try Sutrisno,
\nPalestine Ambassador to Indonesia Ribhi Y. Awad, education expert
\nArief Rahman, former coordinating minister for defense and
\nsecurity M. Panggabean, Minister of Transmigration and
\nResettlement of Forest Squatters A.M. Hendro Priyono,
\nCoordinating Minister for People's Welfare and Poverty
\nEradication Haryono Suyono, former Indonesian police chief Gen.
\nDibyo Widodo, former Army chief of staff Gen. Wismoyo
\nArismunandar, former National Logistics Agency (Bulog) chief
\nBeddu Amang, and former attorney general Singgih.<\/p>\n
Security remained tight at the hospital's B block building.<\/p>\n
Murya, a patient scheduled to undergo a thyroid scan, was
\nprevented by security guards from entering the scanning room. He
\neventually was able to enter only after an official escorted him
\nthrough another door.<\/p>\n
Soeharto went to Germany in 1996 for a medical checkup. He
\nalso had special treatment in 1994 after his presidential medical
\nteam found a urinary tract problem.<\/p>\n
Limited access to verify Soeharto's health status sparked
\nrumors in the General Elections Commission (KPU) on Wednesday
\nthat the former president had died in the morning.<\/p>\n
Soenarka, a KPU member from the New Masyumi Party, spread news
\nto journalists and other KPU members that Soeharto had died,
\nduring a commission plenary meeting to discuss the appointment of
\nregional representatives to the People's Consultative Assembly.<\/p>\n
The commission plenary meeting was abruptly adjourned for five
\nminutes to allow the KPU members express their condolences to the
\nformer president. (asa\/emf\/imn)<\/p>",
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