Uighur demonstrators have once again taken to the streets of Urumqi, the capital of the Western Chinese region of Xinjiang. Some 200 protestors demanded the release of family and friends arrested during rioting at the weekend.

State news agency Xinhua reports that over 1400 Uighurs were arrested after weekend clashes in which at least 156 people died and around 800 were injured.

The Muslim Uighur minority's protests against what they see as Han Chinese oppression is the biggest outburst of ethnic violence the region has seen in decades.

China blames foreign groups for orchestrating the violence. The Uighurs' exiled leader, businesswoman Rebiya Kadeer, has called for an international investigation into events in Xinjiang. The United States has expressed "deep concern" at recent events in the region.