#DALAI LAMA QUOTES UPDATE#

After hearing from a number of readers, it is likely that the leader was attempting to say the common Tibetan phrase 'eat my tongue.' David Germano from the University of Virginia Tibet Center told us: However, we must point out further additional context. However, the Delhi-based HAQ: Center for Child Rights told CNN, 'Some news refers to Tibetan culture about showing tongue, but this video is certainly not about any cultural expression and even if it is, such cultural expressions are not acceptable.' 'People in Tibet thought that the king had been reborn, so to prove they weren't the king, they would show their tongues.' 'It has been a tradition since the 9th century, the time of an unpopular king called Lang Darma, who was known for his black tongue,' said the BBC. The BBC published the headline, 'Dalai Lama regrets asking boy to 'suck my tongue'' though that article did not link to, or display, the viral video, nor the original source of that video.Īccording to the BBC, sticking out one's tongue is a form of greeting in Tibet. Upon following up with VOA regarding access to the footage, we were told, 'At this moment, we have no scheduled plan to republish the video.' We have thus not independently verified the claim that, during that interaction, the Tibetan leader asked the child to 'suck my tongue,' with those words exactly.

#DALAI LAMA QUOTES UPDATE#

We will update this report when, or if, that request is fulfilled.

We followed up with a request to view the clip ourselves. Afterwards, the VOA said it removed it from its published materials because it 'was posted without following VOA's best practices.' It was unknown how, when, or by whom, the clip was posted online.

When we reached out to the VOA with a request to watch all of its footage from the event (a step that would allow us to independently verify the claim), the agency confirmed that one of its journalists indeed recorded the clip in which the Dalai Lama can be heard saying 'suck my tongue.' That third-party account is no longer displaying the video. The available VOA footage online did not show the interaction between the Dalai Lama and the boy in the yellow shirt. Several news outlets reported on the viral video, including Newsweek, which included a link to the clip hosted by a third party, not the VOA. Additionally, the Voice of America (VOA) Tibetan-language newscast covered the event. Afterwards, that organization uploaded photographs online that showed the boy interacting with the leader. Based on verifiable photographs and videos from that event, it was true that a young boy in a yellow shirt and the Dalai Lama shared a hug and a kiss, like the viral video claimed.Īt the event, the Dalai Lama spoke to around 120 students who had completed a skills training program organized by the M3M Foundation. the scene's backdrop, the boy's shirt, etc.) and news archives, we were able to identify where the moment allegedly happened: a gathering at the Dalai Lama's temple in Dharamshala, India, on Feb. In sum, the Dalai Lama's account acknowledged that a young boy asked 'if he could give him a hug,' and apologized 'for the hurt his words may have caused' during that interaction, though it did not say what those words were.īased on the context clues (i.e. His Holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras. 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. In response to people's reaction to the viral clip, the Dalai Lama's official social media account posted an apology on April 10, stating:Ī video clip has been circulating that shows a recent meeting when a young boy asked his Holiness the Dalai Lama if he could give him a hug. Many social media users called the video inappropriate and disturbing, and some who shared it called it an example of pedophilia running rampant. The clip shows the Dalai Lama withdrawing as well. The leader then touches his forehead to the boy's before sticking out his tongue and allegedly saying, 'suck my tongue.' The onlookers laugh as the boy also sticks out his tongue and moves away. Then, the leader points to his lips and says, 'I think here also,' and the boy kisses the Dalai Lama on the lips. The Dalai Lama points to his cheek, saying 'first here,' and the boy gives him a kiss there, followed by a hug. In the viral video, which includes audio, the boy first approaches the Dalai Lama and asks if he can give the Tibetan leader a hug.

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