JAKARTA (AFP) -- Ailing ex-Indonesian president Suharto was recovering Monday from surgery to halt intestinal bleeding, a member of the former president's medical team said. "Everything went smoothly, as planned," team member Mardjo Soebandiono told AFP. He declined further details but said 84-year-old Suharto was now "in the process of recovering."

Another doctor on the team, Joko Raharjo, said shortly after the surgery was completed at 12:20 am Monday (1720 GMT Sunday) that doctors had removed 40 centimeters (16 inches) of intestine where they found 35 points of bleeding.

Doctors decided on the surgery after having identified the bleeding spots through a colonoscopy Sunday, Raharjo said before the surgery began at around 9:00 pm.

Suharto was rushed to Jakarta's Pertamina hospital late Thursday with intestinal bleeding. Doctors said his condition had worsened in the following days due to constant bleeding, but he remained conscious.

The former autocrat has been hospitalised several times in the past for the same condition, as well as stroke and heart problems.

Suharto ruled Indonesia with an iron grip for 32 years, stepping down amid mounting unrest in 1998.

He has so far escaped trial for suspected massive corruption on health grounds, with lawyers offering medical evidence that he can no longer hold or follow a normal conversation.

Last month, however, Attorney-General Abdul Rahman Saleh said he planned to ask doctors to re-examine Suharto to see whether he was fit enough to stand trial.