Published by: World Tibet Network News Monday, November 17, 1997

KATHMANDU, Nov 16 (AFP) - A group of 55 Tibetans have been arrested after entering Nepal illegally to join their exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama in India, sources said Sunday.

The group, including 13 women, was arrested Friday by border police at Charikot, 190 kilometres (119 miles) northeast of here, for entering Nepal illegally in a bid to join the Dalai Lama at his base in Dharamsala in northern India.

"These Tibetans are being brought to Kathmandu Sunday or Monday to appear before the UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees), who will make inquiries about their entry into Nepal," the source said.

"If these Tibetans can prove they are refugees and they want political asylum, they will be sent to Dharmasala," an official at the Nepalese immigration department said.

Sources said Thursday China had tightened the Tibetan-Nepal border following the frequent crossings by Tibetans going to join the Dalai Lama, putting the total number of Tibetans using the route so far this year at 1,877.

The Dalai Lama has been living in India since he fled Lhasa in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese troops in Tibet.