Malaysia ex-PM Mahathir returns to hospital

LANGKAWI, Malaysia, May 14 (Reuters) Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad was admitted to hospital in intensive care today with breathing difficulties, his aide said, only six months after he suffered a mild heart attack.

Mahathir, 81, ruled Malaysia for 22 years until late 2003 and continues to exert an influence over politics, more recently as a stern critic of his hand-chosen successor, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

''He was having breathing difficulty,'' said aide Sufi Yusoff.

''They took him to Langkawi Hospital at 3:50 pm (1320 IST). He is being held for observation at the intensive care unit.'' The Star newspaper, which runs a mobile-phone news service, sent out an alert saying Mahathir was in a stable condition.

He had suffered a mild heart attack in November last year, about six months after he launched a withering political attack on the new administration, accusing it of scrapping important state projects he had approved before retiring from office.

Mahathir has a history of heart trouble. He had bypass surgery in 1989.

Reuters AB GC1620