CHILE: Chile's Pinochet is stable, but remains seriously ill following heart attack.

Former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet was fighting for survival in a Santiago hospital on Monday (December 4) as a small group of supporters continued their vigil outside. Pinochet, the best known of the strongmen who dominated South American politics in the 1970s and 1980s, suffered a heart attack on Sunday (December 3) and was rushed to hospital for an operation to reopen his arteries. As dawn broke, a handful of Pinochet supporters waited outside the military hospital for news of the man who dominated Chilean life for two decades and who still polarises opinion in the country of nearly 16 million people. His supporters said they believed he would survive. "I know he will pull through, he will recuperate because he is a strong man like all of us who are here and I think he will pull through," said one supporter. As supporters maintained a prayer vigil, opponents of the former dictator vented their anger on former commander-in-chief of the army, Juan Emilio Cheire, as he left the hospital. According to Dr. Juan Ignacio Vergara, Pinochet remained hospitalised in serious but stable condition after a heart attack and would remain hospitalized and under observation for "at least 10 days." "The General continues to have vital signs, his condition has not changed, he is fortunately stable, and he has not deteriorated," said Vergara. The 91-year-old Pinochet has been accused of torture, killings, kidnappings and other human rights abuses during his 1973-1990 rule. Before the surgery, Pinochet was given the Roman Catholic last rites, traditionally administered by a priest to the dying. Doctors said they wanted to avoid further surgery, which would be risky because of the retired general's age. Some Chileans regard Pinochet as the man who saved them from Marxism by ousting leftist President Salvador Allende in a 1973 coup, while others view him as a murderer who should be put on trial for human rights abuses. Some 3,000 people were killed in political violence during Pinochet's 17-year rule and around 28,000 were tortured. Many more fled into exile. Pinochet's heart problems have rekindled speculation about the funeral he will be given when he eventually dies. His supporters say he should be granted full state honours while his critics say that would be a national disgrace. Pinochet, who is diabetic, has been in frail health for some time and in recent weeks he has suggested his end could be near. "Today, close to the end of my days, I want to make clear that I hold no rancour toward anybody, that I love my country above all else," he said in a statement read by his wife on his 91st birthday last month. In the statement, he accepted "political responsibility" for acts committed during his rule. The various prosecutors who are trying to bring him to trial complain that whenever he is detained, Pinochet's health appears to deteriorate, allowing his lawyers to argue he should not be brought to court. While some Chileans still regard Pinochet as a hero, disclosures in 2004 that he had stashed $27 million in secret offshore bank accounts during his presidency alienated many of his supporters.

ITN Source | December 5, 2006

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