Dalai Lama apologizes for kissing little boy, asking him to 'suck' his tongue

The video was captured on Feb. 28 at an event in the town of Dharamshala where the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is headquartered in exile. The footage shows Gyatso kissing a boy on the lips, then asking him to suck his tongue.

A boy, who has not been identified, had asked the 87-year-old Nobel Prize winner whether he could hug him, at which point Gyatso said, "Okay — come," and invited him on stage.

Gyatso indicated that before they could hug, he first wanted a kiss on the cheek.

After the child complied, Gyatso pointed to his lips, saying, "Then I think finally here also." He then clasped the boy's chin, pulled it toward him, and kissed the child on the lips.

Gyatso, who previously made headlines for suggesting former President Donald Trump "lacks moral principle," was apparently not yet satisfied. After a loaded pause, he said, "And suck my tongue."

The boy appeared to pull away, but Gyatso claimed one last hug.

Nobody in the audience intervened or mounted a protest.

Weeks after the incident, Gyatso's office issued the following statement: "A video clip has been circulating that shows a recent meeting when a young boy asked His Holiness the Dalai Lama if he could give him a hug. His Holiness wishes to apologize to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused."

"His Holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras. He regrets the incident," the statement added.

The New York Post reported that some Indians stressed that this incident was "creepy" and "disgusting," whereas staunch supporters of the 87-year-old Buddhist leader suggested he had simply been "joking around."

Broadcast journalist Griha Atul tweeted in response to the Gyatso's apology, "Teasing people or plain distasteful? This incident can brand him a paedophile. Period!"'

A prominent Delhi-based child rights group, Haq, emphasized in a statement to CNN that this was not a culturally excusable or specific invitation.

"Some news refers to Tibetan culture about showing tongue, but this video is certainly not about any cultural expression and even if it is, such cultural expressions are not acceptable," said the rights group.

China, antipathetic to Tibetans who seek independence, has long been critical of the Dalai Lama and censored his content online. Beijing will likely exploit this episode in future propaganda efforts against Tibetan sovereigntists.

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