The head of Tibet’s Government-in-exile on April 13 defended the Dalai Lama over footage of him asking a boy to suck his tongue, saying the incident had demonstrated the country’s spiritual leader’s innocent and affectionate side.
The Nobel peace laureate apologized after the footage from a public event, which also shows him apparently giving the boy a peck on the lips, went viral, leading to a wave of comments on social media that his behavior amounted to abuse.
President of the Tibetan Govt in Exile, Penpa Tsering, has accused the Chinese Government of orchestrating the recent viral video controversy surrounding the Dalai Lama to malign his image.
Penpa Tsering, the Sikyong (political leader) of the exiled Central Tibetan Administration, said the Dalai Lama had been “unfairly labeled with all kinds of names that really hurt the sentiment of all his followers”.
The 87-year-old’s “innocent grandfatherly affectionate demeanour” shown in the footage had been misinterpreted, Tsering told, adding that a life of celibacy and spiritual practice had taken the Dalai Lama “beyond the sensorial pleasures”.
The video clip, filmed in February and circulated this month, has been viewed over one million times on Twitter.
Subsequently, Tsering also spoke out against Chinese aggression at India’s northern border, stating that their actions were not helping anybody. Additionally, Tsering challenged the Chinese government to properly study Tibetan Buddhism before attempting to interfere in the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama, warning that their actions could lead to a “lifelong problem.”
On being asked whether Beijing was behind this entire saga, Tsering said that from prima facie evidence, this was spread widely inside China to create a perception of the Dalai Lama, adding it moved internationally.
“And if you look at the scale and the extent of how it was orchestrated, there is a bigger force. There’s no doubt about it,” the President of the Tibetan Govt in Exile added.
Tsering said investigations showed “pro-Chinese sources” were involved in making it go viral, adding that “the political angle of this incident cannot be ignored.”
