One man was shot and wounded trying to stop police arresting 13 Tibetans who had illegally crossed into Nepal, police said Monday.
Police said the Tibetans were arrested near Balephi police post in Chautara, east of here, on Friday as they tried to make their way to Kathmandu after crossing the border near Jiri.
A local middleman who was assisting the Tibetans was shot and wounded after he tried to prevent the police from detaining the illegal immigrants. He was arrested for further questioning, police said.
The Tibetans were handed over to the immigration department for processing. Tibetans illegal immigrants are then usually handed over to the United Nations for High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
More than 170 Tibetans have been arrested so far this year for crossing into Nepal illegally.
Most of the Tibetans come to Nepal on their way to the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh where their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, lives -- KATHMANDU (AFP)
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