Nepalese officials say that the 19 Tibetans they apprehended last week in Nepal, have been handed over to The U-N refugee agency.
The Tibetans fled China and made their way through northwestern Nepal before being apprehended by authorities on Thursday. The Tibetans say they were headed to the northern Indian town of Dharamsala, the home of their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. The U-N refugee agency has not yet decided where to send the Tibetans.
The agency typically sends Tibetan refugees on to Dharamsala. Nepal provoked international criticism in May when it handed over 18 Tibetan refugees to Chinese authorities for the first time.