It was a “cheerful trick” with the tongue: The Dalai Lama is sharply criticized on the Internet for dealing with a boy, but he gets support from his own ranks.
The government of exiled Tibetans has defended the Dalai Lama after a widely criticized video. President Penpa Tsering told reporters in New Delhi that it was “innocent, grandfatherly, loving behavior” and a “cheerful tongue flick,” the Hindustan Times, among others, reported. The government-in-exile is based in Dharamsala in northern India.
The video shows the Tibetan spiritual leader kissing a boy on the lips, then sticking out his tongue and asking him to suck it. “Now who is the victim? The boy doesn’t complain, his mother doesn’t complain. The victim here is His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” Tsering said.
Online, many criticized the behavior of the Dalai Lama. His office apologized for this on Twitter. Tsering claimed that “pro-Chinese sources” were involved in distributing the video. He did not present any relevant evidence. There is no need to explain who benefits from vilifying the Dalai Lama’s image, reputation and legacy, he said.
Tibet is an autonomous Chinese region in the Himalayan highlands. The status of the area under international law is disputed. China’s leadership is suppressing independence aspirations of around five to seven million Tibetans. Their government in exile is not recognized by any country. However, it has an influence on the approximately 130,000 Tibetans living in exile, who are primarily based in India, Nepal and Bhutan. The Dalai Lama campaigns for the rights of the Tibetans and wants to achieve cultural and religious freedoms for them within the People’s Republic, also in dialogue with China. In 1989 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his struggle.
Source: Stern
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