KATHMANDU (AP): A New York-based human rights group has alleged that Nepal arbitrarily arrested hundreds of Tibetans protesting against China and restricted their right to demonstrate, according to a report Thursday.

Human Rights Watch called on Nepal's government to respect the right of Tibetans to peacefully protest and to end the arrest, harassment and mistreatment of those who do so.

``The government of Nepal, under pressure from China, has arbitrarily arrested hundreds of Tibetans and restricted their right to demonstrate against the March 2008 crackdown in Tibet,'' the report said, referring to China's violent reaction to protests against its rule in Tibet.

In a statement, Human Rights Watch's Asia director Brad Adams accused Nepal's government of ``turning the screws on peaceful Tibetan protesters at the behest of China.''

Nepal's Home Secretary Umesh Mainali denied the allegation.

``We are not under the pressure from China and the allegation that China is instructing us is totally false,'' Mainali said. ``It is our policy not to allow any activities against any other nations to take place in our soil.''

Tibetan exiles have been protesting in Nepal's capital almost daily since March. Nepalese police have blocked protests outside the Chinese embassy, their visa office and United Nations office.

Initially police used batons and tear gas to disperse the crowd, but stopped after being criticized by both national and international rights groups.

``It is our duty and responsibility to protect the embassies from attacks by protesters,'' Mainali said.

``We are not targeting Tibetans or stopping them from peaceful protests. The police remove them from the embassy area, keep them for few hours in police stations and free them. They are not charged or jailed,'' he said.

Police have allowed some demonstrations far from embassy area. Recently there have been protesters outside the visa office in Katmandu who have tried to storm the office. They have also thrown debris and kicked the gates.

Scuffles between protesters and police have resulted in minor injuries.

There are thousands of Tibetan refugees living in Nepal. Thousands more are allowed to pass through Nepal on their way to Dharmasala, India where their spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, lives in exile.

In Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao rejected the report's assertion that China was pressuring the Nepalese government.

``We don't accept such accusations and we criticize such remarks,'' he said.

Liu called Nepal a ``good neighbor and good friend.'' He said such countries have pledged to prevent actions in their territory that would harm China's interests, such as moves to create an independent Tibet or attacks on Chinese diplomatic missions abroad.

``We support and appreciate some countries' necessary measures to prevent such things from happening,'' Liu said.