Dalai Lama Apologizes for Asking a Boy to Suck His Tongue

The Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has apologized after a video showing him asking a boy to suck his tongue went viral on social media, triggering a backlash.

The video shows the 87-year-old Buddhist monk planting a kiss on the boy's lips as the minor leaned in to pay his respects. He then sticks his tongue out and asks the child to suck it.

 "Can you suck my tongue," he is heard asking the young boy.

Reports indicate that the video was taken during an event in McLeod Ganj, a suburb of Dharamshala city in northern India, on February 28th.

"His Holiness wishes to apologize to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused," a statement posted on his verified Twitter account said.

"His Holiness often teases the people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras. He regrets the incident."

The Dalai Lama remains the universally recognized face of the movement for Tibetan autonomy.

The global spotlight he enjoyed after winning the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize has dimmed and the deluge of invitations to hobnob with world leaders and Hollywood stars has slowed, partly because the aging leader has cut back on his punishing travel schedule, but also due to China's growing economic and political clout.

Beijing accuses him of wanting to split China, and has referred to him as a "wolf in a monk's robe".

In an interview with BBC in 2019, the Dalai Lama said that if his successor were to be a woman, she would have to be "attractive". He was forced to apologize after his comments attracted heavy criticism.