Dharamshala – Tibetans, supporters and followers of His Holiness the Dalai Lama all over the world showed their solidarity with him and protested against the false allegations against His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the demands for an apology to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Tibetan Women's Association organised long life prayers in the morning and a candlelight vigil in solidarity with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the evening in Dharamshala.
Tibetans, supporters and followers of His Holiness the Dalai Lama from cities and countries around the world such as Dharamshala, New Delhi, Ladakh, Sikkim, Tawang, Mungod, Bylakuppe, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States, Australia and others have organised or will organize protests against the false allegations made against His Holiness the Dalai Lama and demand an apology from His Holiness the Dalai Lama. They ask the Chinese government to stop making false allegations and misleading the world.
The Tibetan Women's Association organised long life prayers in the morning and a candlelight vigil in solidarity with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the evening in Dharamshala, on April 17, 2023.
Tibetan Women's Association has issued a statement regarding the recent false allegations made against His Holiness the Dalai Lama and it said, “His Holiness, the Great 14th Dalai Lama, is known for his compassion and humorous nature. He has been travelling the world to spread his message of peace, nonviolence and compassionate responsibility to all sentient beings. He is the epitome of a selfless individual.”
The statement said, “The incident took place at the Dalai Lama's temple in Dharamshala on the 28th of February this year. It appears to show a young Indian boy approaching the spiritual leader asking for a hug. The 87-year-old spiritual leader then calls him over, motions for him to kiss him on the cheek and then holds the boy's arms and says" I think this is fine also" and points to his mouth. He then kisses the boy on the mouth while the audience laughs. The Dalai Lama then appears to tell the boy to suck his tongue before sticking his tongue out. The boy and the Dalai Lama drew away from each other at that point.”
The statement further said, “For non-Tibetans, we strongly advise having an understanding with the Tibetan community who are upset that the edited clip of the video is being construed as anything other than His Holiness displaying affection, warmth, and humour towards the child.”
They said, “The Tibetan Women's Association and millions of followers around the world have been badly hurt by the recent negative coverage by major news outlets of an incident that occurred over a month ago. They had misinterpreted a playful moment between the Dalai Lama and the young Indian boy, hence:
• We demand an apology from media outlets for reporting fake news. We stand in solidarity with His Holiness the Great 14th Dalai Lama and vow to prevent any further malicious propaganda against him.
• We request the National Investigation Agency, the Government of India to investigate this matter further and find the root cause of this major issue.”
