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Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama apologized Monday after a video showing him kissing a child on the lips sparked criticism.
A statement posted on the official website said the 87-year-old leader regretted the incident and wanted to “apologise to the boy and his family, as well as to his friends around the world, for the pain he may have caused”.
The incident took place at a public meeting in February at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, where the exiled leader resides. He took questions from the audience when the boy asked if he could give him a hug.
The Dalai Lama invited the boy up to the platform where he was sitting. In the video, he gestured to her cheek, after which the boy kissed her before hugging her.
The Dalai Lama then asked the boy to kiss his lips and stick out his tongue. “And suck my tongue,” the Dalai Lama can be heard as the boy sticks out his own tongue and sucks it, to the laughter of the audience.
The footage sparked an online backlash with social media users condemning the behavior as inappropriate and disturbing.
“His Holiness often teases people he meets in a rude and funny way, even in public and in front of the cameras,” a statement from the Dalai Lama read.
The Dalai Lama has made the hillside town of dharamshala his headquarters since fleeing Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959. India considers Tibet part of China, despite hosting exiled Tibetans.
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