The Dalai Lama at the heart of a controversy launched on social networks

2023-04-14T23:54:43.128Z

Highlights: The Dalai Lama is seen in a video asking a boy to "suck his tongue" In Tibetan culture, kissing on the mouth is a sign of respect. The head of the Tibetan government-in-exile says the video is "misinterpreted" The UN estimates that one million Tibetan children now live separated from their parents, forced to learn Chinese in boarding schools. Since 2009, nearly 160 Tibetans have set themselves on fire to protest the persecution of the Tibetans by the Chinese.

The Dalai Lama, a spiritual leader whom all Tibetans worship, in turmoil. After the publication of a video in which we see him asking a boy to "suck his tongue", during a...

The Dalai Lama at the heart of a controversy launched on social networks

The Dalai Lama, pictured at Tsuglakhang Temple to give a sermon in Dharamsala, India, March 7, 2023. AP - Ashwini Bhatia

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

The Dalai Lama, a spiritual leader whom all Tibetans worship, in turmoil. After the publication of a video in which he is seen asking a boy to "suck his tongue", during a hearing, he is singled out for "sexual abuse". From New Delhi, the head of government in exile defends the Dalai Lama's gesture and accuses Beijing of having orchestrated this controversy.

Advertising

The video is from February 28. For more than a month, it had gone completely unnoticed, before creating an almost planetary controversy on social networks.

For the head of the Tibetan government Penpa Tsering, there is little doubt: pro-Chinese sources have circulated these images in order to harm the spiritual leader of Tibetans, hated by Beijing.

According to him, the Dalai Lama's request was "innocent" and "misinterpreted". Indeed, in Tibetan culture, kissing on the mouth and showing one's tongue are marks of respect and affection for the other and do not have the same meaning as in the West.

Tibetan experts regret that this controversy makes us forget the essential, namely that Tibetans have suffered colonization and Chinese repression for 70 years.

Their language and culture are gradually disappearing. The UN estimates that one million Tibetan children now live separated from their parents, forced to learn Chinese in boarding schools.

Many Buddhist monks and nuns are imprisoned, and since 2009, nearly 160 Tibetans have set themselves on fire to protest the persecution of this minority.

► Read also Himalayas: China strengthens its defense with the PCL191, a new rocket launcher (2022)

The Dalai Lama at the heart of a controversy launched on social networks

The Dalai Lama at the heart of a controversy launched on social networks

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest