Nepali authorities have freed 22 Tibetans, who were arrested separately two weeks earlier for entering Nepal illegally, after they paid fines to secure their release.

The Tibetan government-in-exile in India and Tibetan Reception Centre (TRC), a Kathmandu-based non-governmental organization, paid Rs 8500 (US$121) on behalf of each 18 Tibetans who were arrested on November 27 in Bara district for crossing the border without legal documents, Radio Free Asia (RFA), a non-profit media group, said.

The Tibetans, including two women, were sent to the Central Jail in Kathmandu the next day after failed to pay the fines. They were freed on December 8 and were immediately handed over to the Immigration Department.

Separately, four Tibetans who were held by the police last month were released after paying Rs 18,700 (US$267).

All 22 Tibetans have said they plan to go on to India to attend Buddhist teachings, according to RFA.

“When we crossed into Nepal, I thought now we would be safe, without fear of getting arrested by Chinese border forces. We were wrong,” one of the Tibetans, a man named Jimpa, RFA quoted Jimpa, one of the members of the first group, as saying.

“Most of us wanted to enroll in monasteries and schools [in India] for further education,” he said. “Some came to attend Kalachakra teachings given by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I came for the teaching and to seek an audience with His Holiness and then take Gelong vows.”

Lama’s government-in-exile is based in Dharmashala, a north Indian town.

There was no word from Nepali authorities regarding the arrests and the release of the Tibetans.

It is estimated that 2,500 to 3,000 Tibetans enter Nepal every year after a long and arduous journey through the Himalayan passes from the Chinese Autonomous Region of Tibet.

The government claims the total number of Tibetan refugees in Nepal is not more than 15,000 while the actual figure could be much higher.