information:extraction, linguistic:paraphrasing, information:highlighting
Controversy over young boy and "suck my tongue"

In a February 2023 video, the Dalai Lama was recorded kissing a young boy on the lips and asking the child to suck his tongue. The meeting took place at his temple in Dharamshala, India. Nearly 100 students were in attendance, as well as the boy's mother, a trustee of the event's organiser. Her son had asked for and received a hug from the Dalai Lama. He then pointed to his own cheek and lips, requesting and receiving two kisses at those locations from the boy, pulling the child's chin closer during the second one. He then gestured at and said "suck my tongue," stretching it out and moved closer. The boy had been pulling away, and the two ended up pressing their heads together. The video resurfaced in April 2023, and the Dalai Lama's conduct was condemned by many who called it "inappropriate," "scandalous" and "disgusting". His office issued a statement saying that the Dalai Lama often teases "in an innocent and playful way," adding that he wants to apologise to those involved "for the hurt his words may have caused" and "regrets the incident".

Victim groups and media commentators have raised concerns of "child abuse". The HAQ Centre for Child Rights in New Delhi said the video was "certainly not about any cultural expression and even if it is, such cultural expressions are not acceptable." Indian journalist Nilanjana Bhowmick said that sticking out one's tongue is different from "asking a minor to suck it." Child rights activist Shola Mos-Shogbamimu said that child molestation should not be normalised under the guise of playful behaviour.

Tibetan activists argued that the interaction was an overblown joke, misinterpreted and unfairly attacked. They mentioned that sticking out one's tongue is a form of traditional Tibetan greeting to show respect or agreement, stemming from a tradition of performing the gesture to demonstrate that one is not reincarnated from the malevolent king Lang Dharma, who was said to have a black tongue. The practice is not known to involve "sucking," however. In an interview clip released by Voice of Tibet, the boy said it had been a "good experience" meeting the Dalai Lama, from whom he received a lot of "positive energy". Penpa Tsering, the political leader of the Central Tibetan Administration, called the gesture an "innocent grandfatherly affectionate demeanour" followed by a "jovial prank" with a tongue. He and other Tibetans accused "pro-Chinese sources" of being behind the video. Vice News reported that according to Tibetans, "eat my tongue," roughly translated, is a common expression for teasing children. Kaysang, a Tibetan feminist educator in India, said "suck my tongue" is also a game for elders to "deter kids from pestering them". An international group of Tibetan leaders and activists expressed anguish that attempts to understand Tibetan cultural context have been, in their view, insufficiently covered by the media. Pema Rigzin, president of the Tibetan Cultural Society of Vancouver, added that it is "very normal" in Tibetan culture for grandparents to kiss or chew food for their infants.