VICE World News on Instagram: "A viral video showing the Dalai Lama asking a boy to “suck” his tongue has stunned the global Tibetan community. Many believe the video is being widely misinterpreted and are concerned Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propagandists are misusing it to discredit the exiled leader and legitimise the Chinese occupation of Tibet. On Monday, the Dalai Lama’s office issued an apology for the video of a meet-and-greet in February in the northern Indian city of Dharamshala—where Tibet’s highest spiritual leader has been running an independent government in exile since 1959. It’s unclear why the video has gone viral now. It started getting reshared last week with many social media accounts framing it as inappropriate, going as far as to call it child abuse and pedophilia. The leader is counted among the most influential political and spiritual figures in the world. The 87-year-old became the Dalai Lama at the age of four. He fled to India at the age of 23 after a failed uprising against the Chinese occupation. One Tibetan told VICE World News, on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal from those cancelling their leader, that sticking their tongue out is a traditional gesture of greeting for the community. “English is his second language, so sometimes His Holiness uses words that make some people uncomfortable,”Tsering Kyi, a US-based Tibetan journalist, told VICE World News. “However, it doesn't necessarily mean that he intends to be negative.” Jamyang Phuntsok, a Tibetan podcaster in India, said one can acknowledge both the outrage and the Dalai Lama’s innocence.In the meantime, social media is rife with posts that are now saying that China has “liberated” Tibet from the Dalai Lama and are accusing the U.S. of supporting him.#DalaiLama #Tibet #China #India" | Zootzle
