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Suharto returns home

11 May 2005, JAKARTA - Former Indonesian President Suharto has returned home less than a week after he was taken to hospital suffering from internal bleeding. Looking pale but relieved, he was wheeled out of Jakarta's Pertamina Hospital at 5pm local time (1000GMT).

Earlier on Wednesday the head of the hospital, Sutji Mariono, said Suharto's health had improved. But she added that he was "still ill, and if his condition gets worse he'll be returned to the hospital." Suharto, 83, has been suffering from ill health since his forced resignation in 1998, after 32 years in power. He was indicted for alleged corruption, but was deemed unfit to stand trial due to a series of strokes.

This latest health scare has been one of the most serious, with doctors giving him a 50:50 chance of survival earlier this week.

Mixed political legacy

On Wednesday, current President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla visited Suharto at his bedside, reflecting the influence he still has in Indonesia. "We have to respect him as someone who has served the nation," Mr Kalla told reporters.

Suharto's supporters credit him with leading his country from poverty to relative prosperity, making Indonesia a force to be reckoned with in Asia. But this economic growth came at a price: Suharto's dictatorial regime was repressive, and he repeatedly ignored demands for political reform.

He was regularly accused of corruption and allowing human rights abuses, most notably in East Timor, where his armed forces waged a sustained campaign against local separatists. Critics accused him of amassing a private fortune during his 32-year rule.

But in 2000 judges dismissed a US$600m corruption case against the former dictator, after doctors testified that a series of strokes had left him brain damaged and unfit to face prosecution. Since then, the former strongman has lived quietly in his Jakarta home, watching from the sidelines as his country has moved towards full democracy.