(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-01-11 22:08

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Suharto's family and doctors rushed to his bedside on Friday after the former Indonesian dictator's lungs showed the dangerous early signs of infection, doctors and a family aide said. One physician said his condition was deteriorating.

Former Indonesian president Suharto shows his finger marked with ink after he voted in a polling station near his residence in central Jakarta in this September 20, 2004 file photo. [Agencies]

Relatives gathered by Suharto's bedside to pray and recite verses from the Quran, a close aide to the family told The Associated Press. He asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Suharto, 86, was hospitalized in critical condition one week ago with anemia and a low heart rate. He initially responded well to a blood transfusion and kidney dialysis, but his health has fluctuated almost daily.

"I have just received urgent calls to come immediately to the hospital," Ismoyo, a cardiologist, said late Friday. "His condition is deteriorating. It's worse than it was this morning."

Patients have been cleared from part of Pertamina Hospital to make way for Suharto. Several nearby rooms were packed with family members and close friends, some praying and chanting verses from the Quran.

"My father is still weak," Tommy, the youngest of Suharto's sons, said as he headed into the building, thronged by reporters. "Let all Indonesians pray for his recovery."

A series of strokes in recent years have left Suharto with permanent brain damage and impaired speech.