Lee Kuan Yew recovering

Lee Kuan Yew recovering

SINGAPORE (AFP): Former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew underwent
successful treatment for a heart problem here yesterday and was
recovering in intensive care, a government statement said.

The 72-year-old elder statesman had checked into the Singapore
General Hospital on Friday after complaining of chest pains.

A procedure known as balloon angioplasty was carried out
yesterday and "successfully opened up" two areas of "significant
narrowing" in one coronary artery with no complications, said the
statement from Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong's office.

The procedure involves using a tube with a balloon tip to
clear narrowed arteries, which could lead to a heart attack if
unchecked.

The functions of Lee's heart were "completely normal with no
evidence of muscle damage," the statement said.

"Senior Minister was transferred to the Cardio-Thoracic
Intensive Care Unit where he will be under observation and close
monitoring for the next 24 hours," the government statement said,
using Lee's cabinet title.

Lee stepped down as premier in 1990 in favor of Goh, his
handpicked successor, after governing the city-state with an iron
hand for three decades, turning it from a sleepy British colonial
port into an Asian economic power.

An earlier statement said Lee, whose brief official profile
lists jogging and swimming as his forms of recreation, "has been
having chest pains during exercise the past few days."

News of Lee's hospitalization came amid expectations of a
general election this year, which his People's Action Party
(PAP), in power for nearly 37 years now, is expected to win
handily.

Lee has not declared whether he will stand for reelection as
an MP.

Lee was in the news earlier this week after revealing he had
mild dyslexia, a learning disorder that causes reading
difficulties. He said he was diagnosed as having the problem 10
years ago.

Singapore's top leadership has been hit by ailments in recent
years.

President Ong Teng Cheong, 59, underwent five weeks of
radiotherapy late last year for lymphoma, a form of cancer. He
has resumed public duties after the apparently successful
treatment.

Lee's 43-year-old son, Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong,
was diagnosed as suffering from lymphoma in 1992 at the same time
as Ong, at the time also a deputy prime minister, delivering a
double shock to Singapore.

The younger Lee temporarily relinquished his official posts
but after treatment rejoined the cabinet. He now oversees the
trade and industry ministry and is seen as a potential successor
to Goh.