A minister of the India-based Tibetan government-in-exile, who landed at Tribhuvan international Airport Thursday, was sent back, officials confirmed on Friday.

Tsering Dhondup, finance minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile, was turned away following orders from the Home Ministry, immigration officials at the TIA said. Dhondup had landed at the airport on a flight from Qatar.

After being denied entry to Nepal, Dhondup is known to have boarded a flight to New Delhi.

However, the Tibetan government-in-exile in a statement posted on its website denied news reports about the incident.

"The kadrung (cabinet secretary) has categorically rejected the Kathmandu Post's news story of Kalon Tsering Dhondup being denied entry to Nepal as "totally untrue,"' the website said, referring to the news in The Kathmandu Post on Friday.

"Kalon Tsering Dhondup was in Dharmashala on the day the alleged incident was reported to have happened," the statement said, quoting Ven Karma Gelek Yuthok, secretary of the Kashag of the Central Tibetan Administration. nepalnews.com