Nepalese police Thursday arrested more than 200 Tibetan exiles demonstrating in Kathmandu even as China thanked Nepal for its efforts to stop possible activities on Mount Everest aimed at disrupting Olympic torch relay.

The police said they arrested the Tibetan demonstrators after they tried to storm a Chinese embassy visa office here.

Tibetan exiles, including dozens of monks and nuns, ran through the police lines and kicked the gates of the visa office in an attempt to storm it.

The police punched and kicked the demonstrators as they were loaded onto police vans and trucks, witnesses said.

Many protesters carried Tibetan national flag as well as placards denouncing Chinese rule in Tibet.

The anti-China protest by Tibetan exiles was the first in more than a week in Kathmandu.

The protests first began March 10 and until last week, they were held on an almost daily basis.

Human rights organisations have criticised the Nepalese government for use of force to break up demonstrations.

Meanwhile, media reports in Kathmandu said Chinese government had thanked Nepal for its cooperation in ensuring smooth transportation of Olympic torch to the summit of the world's highest peak Mt Everest.

Independent Kantipur Television quoted officials at the prime minister's office as saying the appreciation was conveyed in a letter from Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to his Nepalese counterpart Girija Prasad Koirala.