Dalai Lama apologises to young boy after kissing row

The Dalai Lama has apologised for an interaction with a young boy in a viral video that set off a controversy.

The video shows the Tibetan spiritual leader kissing the child on his lips. He then sticks his tongue out and can be heard asking the boy to suck it.

The Dalai Lama’s office said he wanted to apologise to the child and his family “for the hurt his words may have caused”.

The statement did not explicitly refer to the words he was heard saying.

According to the statement, the boy asked the Dalai Lama if he could give him a hug – this is not visible in the 23-second clip being circulated online.

“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 said.

The date and venue of the incident are not clear yet. The BBC emailed questions to the Dalai Lama’s office, including asking for confirmation about the words he said. The office responded with the text of the official statement.

The Dalai Lama is the head monk of Tibetan Buddhism and a widely respected spiritual leader. He has been living in exile in India since 1959, after a failed anti-Chinese uprising in Tibet.

Sticking one’s tongue out is a way of greeting in Tibet, but several people expressed outrage on social media over the 87-year-old’s “inappropriate” actions after the video went viral on Sunday. Some people also pointed out that others in the room could be heard laughing after the Dalai Lama’s comments.

In 2019, the Dalai Lama’s office issued an apology after the leader told the BBC in an interview that any future female Dalai Lama should be “attractive”.

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