Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described the violence against the Uighurs in western China as a kind of genocide. He says he does not understand why the Chinese authorities are doing so little about the problem.

The Uighur community live in Xinjiang province in western China and have strong ties with Turkey. They are a Turkic people and thousands of Uighurs live in Turkey.

Tension in Urumqi, the provincial capital of Xinjiang, is high, following Sunday's violence in which at least 184 people were killed according to the latest official figures. On Friday, the Chinese authorities ordered mosques in Urumqi to remain closed, telling people to hold Friday prayers in their homes. At least two mosques conducted Friday prayers despite the order.

photo: Recep Tayyip Erdogan (ANP)