Malaysia ex-PM Mahathir leaves hospital

KUALA LUMPUR - Former Malaysian premier Mahathir Mohamad left hospital on Thursday, two days after undergoing minor surgery, his aide said.

The Southeast Asian nation's long-time leader, 86, had an hour-long operation at a hospital in the capital Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday to remove nasal polyps.

"He is well, and doctors were satisfied with his condition," his aide Sufi Yusoff said in a statement, adding Mahathir had been advised to rest at home for a few more days.

Mahathir, who led the country from 1981 until 2003 when he stepped down, remains an influential figure, often speaking out on current events.

In May last year, he was hospitalised at the National Heart Institute for treatment of a chest infection. In October 2010, a similar chest infection saw him hospitalised in Melbourne.

He has undergone two coronary bypass operations, one in 1989 and the latest in 2007.

-AsiaOne