Global Courant 2023-04-14 10:11:10
NEW DELHI — The head of the Tibetan government-in-exile on Thursday defended the Dalai Lama over footage of him asking a boy to suck his tongue, saying the incident showed the innocent and affectionate side of the spiritual leader.
The Nobel laureate apologized after footage from a public event, which also shows him apparently kissing the boy on the lips, went viral, sparking a wave of comments on social media that his behavior amounted to abuse .
Penpa Tsering, the Sikyong (political leader) of the exiled Central Tibetan government, said the Dalai Lama had been “falsely labeled with all sorts of names that really hurt the sentiment of all his followers.”
The 87-year-old’s “innocent grandfatherly, affectionate attitude” seen in the footage has been misinterpreted, Tsering told reporters in New Delhi, adding that a life of celibacy and spiritual practice would take the Dalai Lama “beyond the sensory pleasures”.
The music video, filmed in February and distributed this month, has been viewed more than a million times on Twitter.
Tsering said investigations have shown “pro-Chinese sources” were involved in making it go viral, adding that “the political angle of this incident cannot be ignored.”
Officials from the Chinese embassy in New Delhi were not immediately available for comment.
The Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet. The Chinese army marched in and took control in 1951.
He has worked for decades to garner global support for linguistic and cultural autonomy in his remote, mountainous homeland between India and China.
Beijing has accused him of inciting separatism and does not recognize the Tibetan government-in-exile, which represents about 100,000 Tibetans living in about 30 countries.
