The Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama apologised on Monday after a video which showed him asking a boy to suck his tongue triggered a backlash on social media.
The video, which has gone viral, shows the Dalai Lama, 87, planting a kiss on the boy's lips as he leaned in to pay his respects.
The Buddhist monk is then seen sticking his tongue out as he asked the child to suck it. "Can you suck my tongue," he is heard asking the young boy in the video.
The video is from an event in McLeod Ganj, a suburb of Dharamshala city in northern India, on February 28.
"His Holiness wishes to apologise to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused," said a statement posted on his verified Twitter account.
"His Holiness often teases the people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras," it added. "He regrets the incident."
Twitter users slammed the video, calling it "disgusting" and "absolutely sick" after it started trending on Sunday.
"Utterly shocked to see this display by the #DalaiLama. In the past too, he's had to apologise for his sexist comments. But saying - Now suck my tongue to a small boy is disgusting," wrote user Sangita.
Another poster, Rakhi Tripathi, said: "What did I just see? What that child must be feeling? Disgusting."
The Dalai Lama remains the universally recognised face of the movement for Tibetan autonomy.
But 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 ageing 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 2019, the Dalai Lama apologised for saying that if his successor were to be a woman, she would have to be "attractive".
The comments, which were criticised around the world, were made in an interview with the BBC.
(AFP)
Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in northwest of London, in July 2024. (Photo: Hertfordshire Police /Handout via REUTERS)
Crossbow murderer found guilty of raping ex-girlfriend
A 26-YEAR-OLD man who murdered three women in a crossbow and stabbing attack has been found guilty of raping one of them, his ex-girlfriend, a British court ruled on Thursday.
Kyle Clifford had previously pleaded guilty to the murders of BBC sports commentator John Hunt’s wife and two daughters at their home in Bushey, northwest of London, in July 2024.
The attack led to a manhunt before Clifford was found injured hours later in a north London cemetery.
A jury at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday convicted Clifford of raping 25-year-old Louise Hunt before killing her.
His sentencing for all the crimes is scheduled for Tuesday.
Clifford had admitted to murdering Carol Hunt, 61, and her daughters Louise and Hannah, 28. He had also pleaded guilty to charges of false imprisonment and possessing offensive weapons but denied raping Louise.
During the trial, the court heard that after killing Carol Hunt, Clifford waited for an hour before attacking Louise, tying her up, raping her, and then killing her with a crossbow. He later killed Hannah when she returned home from work.
The prosecution described Clifford, a former soldier, as committing a "violent, sexual act of spite" and said he was "enraged" after Louise ended their 18-month relationship. They told the court that he had "carefully planned" the attack.
Less than 24 hours before the killings, Clifford had searched for a podcast by social media influencer Andrew Tate, according to the prosecution. They argued that the murders were driven by the "violent misogyny promoted" by Tate.
Justice Joel Bennathan called Clifford’s crimes "dreadful" and "almost unspeakable".
(With inputs from AFP)