Nepal police arrested 20 Tibetans Sunday for illegally entering the country on Sunday.
Authorities say the 15 young Tibetan boys and five women were captured near a remote western Himalayan village after crossing into Nepal from China without having valid travel permits.
A police spokesman said the Tibetan refugees arrived in the area after walking for 17 days.
They will be sent to Kathmandu Monday for action by immigration authorities.
They could be sent back to Tibet or escorted into India, where the Dalai Lama lives in exile.
Nepal and Tibet have a common border of 1,414 km with 34 major passes between the two. Each year, thousands of Tibetans refugees try to cross over, both via road and the snow-clad passes, facing grave threats to their lives.
Approximately 2,500 Tibetan refugees escape into exile annually, travelling through Nepal en route to Dharamsala in northern India where their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile are based.
However the number of the Tibetan refugees escaping from Nepal has decreased in the recent years following China’s growing influence in Nepal. Since 2008, Nepal has hardened its stance on the Tibetan refugees, a trend observed in the Himalayan country’s increasing ties with China.
Nepal's major parties adhere to the 'One China' policy, regarding Tibet as an integral part of China and keeping Tibetan refugees in Nepal on a tight leash.
