Foreign countries have offered condolences to victims of Sunday's riot in Xinjiang while overseas Chinese called the rioters terrorists.

The deadliest riot in the Uygur autonomous region in many years has so far killed 156 and injured 1,080 people.

Ian Kelly, spokesman of the US State Department, said at a press briefing on Monday that the US deeply regretted the loss of life.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a press release on Monday it expects the persons responsible for these incidents will be found as soon as possible and brought to justice.

"We believe that the necessary measures will be taken to prevent this kind of incident in the future in China, a country on the way to becoming more stable and prosperous," it said.

The British government expressed its regret at the death toll and called on all sides to exercise restraint, its embassy in China said.

Overseas Chinese condemned the rioters and those who backed the outlaws.

"We consider the violence in Xinjiang as malicious as the Sept 11 terrorist attack," Huang Keqiang, executive president of the Eastern America Chinese Association, said in New York.

"We condemn the crime of violence that was premeditated and organized, and also Rebiya Kadeer, the mastermind from the World Uyghur Congress who instigated the separatist activities," he said in a statement.

One of the largest Chinese associations in France – the Chinese Immigrants and Expatriates Association – lambasted the mastermind who plotted the melee, saying the riot is against the will of the Chinese people.

"The people behind the riot are despicable and the evil should be put to an end immediately," said Chen Shengwu, the association's chairman.

Chen said he is impressed by the Chinese government's timely release of information about the riot, and said he was confident the government could handle the riot and keep losses to a minimum.

Zhang Qian, a Chinese student at the University of Birmingham in the UK, said some Western media were biased in their reporting and she wants them not to ignore the Chinese government's efforts to guard civilians.

(China Daily July 8, 2009)