Suharto suffers second multiple organ failure

JAKARTA: Indonesia's former president Suharto had to be resuscitated overnight after suffering multiple organ failure for the second time, his doctors said Sunday.

The 86-year-old is now in a "very critical" condition, they said, three weeks after he was rushed to hospital with heart, lung and kidney problems.

Suharto suffered his first multiple organ failure a week after he was admitted, but had rallied in recent days, with doctors saying Saturday he was able to breathe without the aid of a respirator.

"Today, (he) is very critical... the conditions today is much worse than yesterday," said Mardjo Soebiandono, who heads the team of doctors treating Suharto.

"Since 0100 am, his general condition has dropped, he suffered breathing difficulties, followed by a drop in his blood pressure," Soebiandono said.

He added that Suharto had been resuscitated and was now breathing with the assistance of a machine.

Djoko Rahardjo, another doctor from Suharto's medical team, said he was now unconscious and had suffered another multiple organ failure.

Suharto, who was among Asia's most notorious strongmen of the 20th century, stepped down in 1998 amid deadly riots and mass pro-democracy protests that were sparked by the 1997 Asian economic crisis.