with videoThe Dalai Lama, 87, is passed through the dust by a video that is widely shared online. It shows how he kisses the boy on the mouth, and then asks him to suck his tongue. That was not good, Tibet’s spiritual leader admitted on Monday.
foreign editors
Last updated:
13:14
The video is dated February 28, but has been viewed millions of times on social media in the past week. The boy came to meet the Dalai Lama at McLeod Ganj, a suburb of Dharamsala in northern India, where he has lived in exile since a failed Tibetan uprising against the authority in 1951.
The spiritual leader first kisses the boy on the mouth. Then the boy asked – in a clear voice through the microphone – “Can you suck my tongue?” The boy let it get past him, but he looked a little surprised.
Laughter can be heard in the video, but the reactions that erupted around the world were less cheery. The Tibetan leader is accused of pedophilia here and there. Others call it “disgusting”.
“playfully”
The Dalai Lama himself now sees what he did as wrong. “His Holiness would like to apologize to the boy and his family as well as his many friends around the world for any pain his words may have caused,” a statement on his official Twitter account said. “His Holiness often teases those he meets in an innocent and playful manner, even in public and in front of cameras. He regrets this incident.
The 87-year-old Dalai Lama lives in exile in India. He was expelled from Tibet by the country’s Chinese rulers. In recent decades, he has traveled a lot around the world, but lately he has been staying in India more due to his health.
M 16
@ m16tri
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