JAKARTA, Indonesia — Doctors struggled Tuesday to stabilize the condition of former President Suharto after a setback that they said included new signs of internal bleeding, heart problems and a buildup of fluid in his lungs.
Mr. Suharto, 86, who was forced from office 10 years ago, entered the hospital on Friday and was placed on dialysis as his heart and kidneys weakened. Doctors said his condition was stable before the setback on Tuesday.
People here in the capital monitored radio and television broadcasts for reports about Mr. Suharto, who has lived quietly in his modest home in Jakarta for the past decade, largely ignored in the bustle of democracy that followed his downfall.
“He is worse than yesterday,” said Dr. Mardjo Soebiandono, the leader of Mr. Suharto’s medical team of as many as 40 doctors, in a medical bulletin on Tuesday morning. “We are looking for the cause of the bleeding.” He said he had ordered a halt to the stream of high-ranking visitors, including President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who had paid their respects to Mr. Suharto in the past few days.
For 32 years, Mr. Suharto held the country in his grip, suppressing dissent and political opposition and controlling almost all areas of life, including military, business and economic affairs. He has never been brought to account for the corruption offenses and human rights abuses that he is accused of committing, and some people said Tuesday that they regretted that he might die without facing justice.
His hospitalization prompted a call from his former political party for an end to corruption cases that have been brought against him. The cases have been stymied by his ill health and by the reluctance of successive governments to push ahead with charges against the country’s former longtime leader.
Although criminal corruption cases have been dropped or shelved in the past, a civil case involving the misuse of charitable foundations has been moving ahead.
On Tuesday, as Mr. Suharto lay in intensive care, that case inched forward in a drowsy, half-empty courtroom in the South Jakarta Criminal Court. Under two lazy ceiling fans, a panel of three red-robed judges, flanked by stacks of documents, questioned a witness about technical details of one of the foundations. After an hour, the session adjourned.
Attorney General Hendarman Supandji insisted that despite the long delays and the collapse of the criminal cases, this one would move forward.
“So, Suharto’s case is over,” he said, referring to the criminal proceedings. “What’s now proceeding is the civil case against seven foundations belonging to Suharto. And the proceedings against the seven foundations are still going on.”
