Kathmandu - At least 30 Tibetan exiles were arrested Monday near Nepal's border with China after they tried to cross into Tibet as part of a protest against Chinese rule, media reports said.

The arrests were made at Batase village, a few kilometres from the border.

The Tibetans, including several monks, had trekked to Batase, about 100 kilometres north-east of Kathmandu, about a week ago, independent Kantipur Radio said.

"The Tibetans were arrested in the early hours of Monday morning as they sheltered in the village ahead of their attempt to cross the border into Tibet," the radio quoted police inspector Suraj KC as saying. "We will send them back to Kathmandu later during the day."

The Tibetan exiles had started their trek from Sankhu village on the northern edge of the Kathmandu Valley about a week ago without publicity.

To avoid police, the marchers, carrying free Tibet banners and Tibetan national flags, used foot trails in treacherous monsoon conditions to reach Batase.

Police said the marchers had complained that they had been robbed along the way.

The march to cross into Tibet was the second this month by Tibetan exile groups, which have been holding anti-China protests in Nepal almost daily since March 10, the 
49th anniversary of a failed uprising in Tibet against Chinese rule.

Nepalese police arrested at least 40 Tibetan exiles on July 1 during a similar march 10 kilometres from the border.

They were all brought back to Kathmandu, but no formal charges were laid against them.

Last week, Human Rights Watch accused the Nepalese government of blocking Tibetan protests under pressure from China.

"Nepal's government is turning the screws on peaceful Tibetans," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "China has played an important role in the Nepali government's crackdown on Tibetan demonstrations."

Human Rights Watch also said more than 8,500 Tibetans had been arrested by Nepalese police since the protests began and accused the police of using "excessive force and sexual assault of women during arrest."

Nepal is officially home to more than 20,000 Tibetans, concentrated mainly in the Kathmandu Valley and Pokhara in western Nepal. The figure does not include Tibetans who arrived in the country after 1990 because the Nepalese government stopped registering them as refugees.

Estimates said about 3,000 Tibetans arrive in Nepal each year, crossing dangerous mountain passes and risking their lives to flee Chinese rule.

The Nepalese government has repeatedly said it considers Tibet to be part of China and will not tolerate anti-Chinese activities. (dpa)