Former Indonesian President Wahid dies

INDONESIA: Former Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid died in hospital on Wednesday aged 69, after a long battle with illness, a party official said.

Wahid was Indonesia's fourth president, coming to power in 1999 after the country's first general elections following the fall of military strongman Suharto in 1998.

Popularly known as Gus Dur, he was practically blind, diabetic and had suffered strokes.

"Gus Dur just passed away," said Lukman Edy from Wahid's National Awakening Party.

Local television reported that the cause of death was heart failure but this had not been confirmed.

A moderate religious scholar, Wahid was criticised in office for his erratic leadership style and was sacked by the national assembly in 2001 amid unproven allegations of corruption and incompetence. Jakarta, Thursday, AFP