As China strengthens its relations with Nepal and the Maoist insurgency and political turmoil in the Himalayan kingdom continues, it is getting increasingly dangerous for Tibetans trying to escape from China-controlled Tibet through Nepal, a report says.

"Dangerous Crossing", a report by International Campaign for Tibet, a Washington-based NGO with chapters in Europe, says "dangers for Tibetans escaping from Tibet into exile through Nepal, and for those resident in Nepal, have intensified over the past year" with further incidents of the refugees being sent back to China in 2004-05, and abuse and harassment by Nepali police and armed forces, including beatings.

The report, released this month, says Beijing has taken advantage of the turmoil created by the insurgency and conflicts within the Nepal government to exert an increasing political influence on Nepal.

"Tibetans escaping from Tibet and those resident in Nepal have been increasingly at risk since the seizure of power by King Gyanendra, who is known to be close to Beijing, in Nepal in February," it said.

"The offices of the representative of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Refugees Welfare Office in Kathmandu, crucial to the welfare of Tibetans in Nepal, received closure notices from the Nepali government earlier this year, largely due to China's influence on the Nepalese authorities, and the situation remains unresolved."

About 2,500 Tibetans flee to India each year via Nepal and the Nepal government had a tacit agreement with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to facilitate their transit. The agreement says the Nepal police should escort Tibetan new arrivals to the UNHCR office in Kathmandu for processing their documents.

"But the unsettled and dangerous situation created by the clash of Maoists and factions of the Nepali army and police have sometimes kept border police close to their stations - making the scenario of turning over Tibetans to Chinese border guards a more convenient option," the report alleges.

"Chinese border guards have cultivated cooperative relationships with Nepali border police in order to facilitate the return of Tibetans. There is increasing evidence that some Tibetans are bypassing the Tibetan Refugee Reception Center in Kathmandu in their escape into exile because of the increasingly insecure situation for Tibetans who arrive there."

Last year, more than a third of the new arrivals were children under 14, who have often been sent into exile by their parents who feel that it is their only chance for education or a better life.

Most of the adult Tibetans who arrive in Nepal are monks and nuns, seeking a religious education that is not possible in Tibet due to the restrictions imposed by the Chinese state. Others leave because they have been unable to find work due to competition from Chinese migrants, or have been relocated from their land to make way for development projects and urbanization in Tibetan areas under China's campaign to develop the western regions, including Tibet.

China, which has declared Tibet to be an inalienable part of it, does not recognise Tibetan refugees.

"There are no Tibetan refugees, just illegal immigrants, who should be treated according to the law of the land," Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Sun Heping has said, outlining Beijing's policy towards fleeing Tibetans.