Gus Dur leaves hospital

JAKARTA: Former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid was discharged from Jakarta's Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital (RSCM) on Monday after 18 days of medical treatment for excessive amounts of sugar in the blood.

"Father (Gus Dur) left RSCM at around 2:30 p.m. after his blood pressure stabilized," his eldest daughter Zannubah "Yenni" Arifah Chafsah told The Jakarta Post.

She said doctors advised Gus Dur, who had twice suffered a stroke before becoming the country's fourth president in 1999, to rest at home and be consistent in his diet in order to control his blood sugar levels.

Yenni said her father's failure to watch his diet had contributed to his ill health. "His high blood sugar level was detected after he drank a Chinese traditional medicine," she added.

Gus Dur had been preparing to address a press conference on July 8, when he almost collapsed. He was taken to RSCM where doctors said he was suffering high blood pressure and exhaustion.--JP