Rebiya Kadeer, leader of the World Uygur Congress (WUC), has been banned from visiting Taiwan, Jiang Yi-huah, the internal affairs head of the region, said Friday.

Jiang said the WUC is closely related to a terrorist organization and many countries are wary of its secretary general.

The proposal to ban Kadeer's visit, made "in consideration of Taiwan's interests", has been supported by the region's administrative authorities.

Taiwan secessionist groups recently invited Kadeer to visit the island at the end of the year, and whether the authorities would approve her visit has since attracted close attention.

The WUC was widely blamed for the deadly riot in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, on July 5. The riot killed nearly 200 people.

(Xinhua News Agency September 25, 2009)