The human rights organisation Amnesty International says it fears increased repression of ethnic Uighur groups in the Xinjiang region of China, following a Chinese government call for international support against domestic terrorism.

Uighur separatists have been blamed by the Chinese authorities for sporadic attacks in the province, which has borders with part of Pakistan and Afghanistan as well as the central Asian republics.

Amnesty says the Chinese authorities do not distinguish between terrorism and separatism, and says most separatist activity is peaceful.

On Thursday a Chinese Foreign Minister spokesman linked Muslim Uighur rebels in the Xinjiang region with international terrorist groups, and said its fight against them was part of the global campaign.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service