KUALA LUMPUR (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Dr Mahathir Mohamad attended the Umno general assembly on Thursday after talk that he would not be present due to health reasons.

The former party president and prime minister arrived at the Putra World Trade Centre with his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali and both looked well.

There were loud cheers when his presence was announced by Umno secretary general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Mansor.

Dr Mahathir has been critical of Umno, even saying in a blog posting that he would not be able to attend the annual general assembly because of health reasons. Dr Mahathir, who was premier for 22 years, recently said Prime Minister Najib Razak's policies have "destroyed inter-racial ties, the economy and the country's finances".

The Umno annual assembly, with the theme "United Malay", is attended by over 2,700 members nationwide. Also present were representatives of Barisan Nasional component parties and political parties of other countries.