Bangladesh President Zillur Rahman dies of illness in Singapore hospital

DHAKA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh President Zillur Rahman died Wednesday at a Singapore hospital.

Mohammad Shafiul Alam, a secretary with the presidential office, confirmed the news to Xinhua, saying "the ailing president breathed his last at 4:47 p.m. (Bangladesh time) at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore."

Rahman was flown to Singapore on March 10 night by an air ambulance and admitted to the Mount Elizabeth Hospital the following morning.

He was earlier admitted to Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka cantonment as he complained of respiratory complications.

The 84-year-old veteran politician was installed as the ceremonial head of the state in 2009 after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Bangladesh Awami League party was elected in the landmark December 2008 general elections.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Leader of the Opposition in the parliament Begum Khaleda Zia and Speaker Abdul Hamid expressed deep shock at the death of Rahman, the 19th president of the South Asian country.

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