Bangladesh ex-ruler has heart op

Gen Ershad ruled Bangladesh for nine years

Bangladesh's former military ruler, Gen Hussein Muhammad Ershad, is recovering in hospital after a heart operation, doctors in Dhaka say.

"He is in a satisfactory condition following a successful stent procedure to relieve two blocked arteries in his heart," an official said.

Gen Ershad, 79, was admitted to hospital early on Wednesday.

He was moved to a coronary care unit following a one-and-a-half hour operation, officials say.

Gen Ershad recently received check-ups in Singapore and has previously undergone angioplasty in Saudi Arabia.

He seized power in Bangladesh in 1982 and has faced numerous trials for corruption, serving five years in jail.

Correspondents say that although allegations of corruption overshadowed his nine years in power - he won praise for privatising industry and streamlining procedures for foreign investment.

His Jatiya party remains the country's third-largest political party and in recent years has formed alliances with both the country's two largest parties - the Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.