Dharamsala, July 9(ANI): Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Thursday asked the Chinese government to exercise restraint in dealing with the ethnic violence in Urumqi, the capital of China''s Xinjiang Uighurs province, which has claimed 156 lives and left thousands injured.

"I am deeply saddened and concerned with the worsening situation in East Turkistan (Xinjiang), especially with the tragic loss of lives. I earnestly urge the Chinese authorities to exercise restraint in dealing with the situation in a spirit of understanding and far-sightedness," said Thubten Samphel, spokesperson of the Tibetan government-in-exile while reading the message of the Dalai Lama in Dharamshala.

"I offer my prayers for those who lost their lives, their families and others affected by this sad turn of events," he added.

About 1,434 people have been arrested in the unrest between Han Chinese and Muslim Uighurs since Sunday in Urumqi.

It is being feared that demonstrations and rioting could break out in other parts of the vast region, especially in areas which are heavily populated by minority Muslim Uighurs. (ANI)