Dalai Lama apologizes for kissing little boy, asking him to 'suck' his tongue



The Dalai Lama issued an apology Monday after a video went viral showing the Tibetan Buddhist leader kissing and touching a young boy in northern India.

The video was captured on Feb. 28 at an event in the town of Dharamshala where the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, is headquartered in exile. The footage shows Gyatso kissing a boy on the lips, then asking him to suck his tongue.

A boy, who has not been identified, had asked the 87-year-old Nobel Prize winner whether he could hug him, at which point Gyatso said, "Okay — come," and invited him on stage.

Gyatso indicated that before they could hug, he first wanted a kiss on the cheek.

After the child complied, Gyatso pointed to his lips, saying, "Then I think finally here also." He then clasped the boy's chin, pulled it toward him, and kissed the child on the lips.

Gyatso, who previously made headlines for suggesting former President Donald Trump "lacks moral principle," was apparently not yet satisfied. After a loaded pause, he said, "And suck my tongue."

The boy appeared to pull away, but Gyatso claimed one last hug.

Nobody in the audience intervened or mounted a protest.

\u201c\ud83e\udd22 This is an alarming scene! The Dalai Lama, who has had ties to NXIVM in the past, caught on camera trying to make advances to an Indian boy.\n\nYou can clearly see the boy's body language as he yanks back the first time, then throws his head upward as the Dalai-Lama says "SUCK\u2026\u201d
— NATLY DENISE (@NATLY DENISE) 1681045651

Weeks after the incident, Gyatso's office issued the following statement: "A video clip has been circulating that shows a recent meeting when a young boy asked His Holiness the Dalai Lama if he could give him a hug. His Holiness wishes to apologize to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused."

"His Holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras. He regrets the incident," the statement added.

The New York Post reported that some Indians stressed that this incident was "creepy" and "disgusting," whereas staunch supporters of the 87-year-old Buddhist leader suggested he had simply been "joking around."

Broadcast journalist Griha Atul tweeted in response to the Gyatso's apology, "Teasing people or plain distasteful? This incident can brand him a paedophile. Period!"'

A prominent Delhi-based child rights group, Haq, emphasized in a statement to CNN that this was not a culturally excusable or specific invitation.

"Some news refers to Tibetan culture about showing tongue, but this video is certainly not about any cultural expression and even if it is, such cultural expressions are not acceptable," said the rights group.

China, antipathetic to Tibetans who seek independence, has long been critical of the Dalai Lama and censored his content online. Beijing will likely exploit this episode in future propaganda efforts against Tibetan sovereigntists.

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China collecting DNA samples across Tibet, en masse and without consent: Report



An alarming new report suggests that the Chinese Communist Party is conducting a widespread DNA collection program in Tibet, forcing nearly everyone in targeted locales — including children as young as 5 — to submit a blood sample without their informed consent.

According to the report issued by Human Rights Watch on Monday, the DNA collection drive began in 2019 as a "crime detection" program. However, HRW claims that DNA has been collected from people even without their consent and without any evidence that they had participated in a crime. In fact, there is no indication that anyone has been able to refuse to give a sample or been granted an exemption from the program.

"No village must be omitted from a township, no household must be omitted from a village, and no person must be omitted from a household," the report states.

The CCP has allegedly collected DNA from 14 distinct localities spread throughout all seven prefectures in the area dubbed the Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China, and participation in these localities has been nearly universal. According to HRW, police even collected blood samples from three separate kindergartens in Nyemo county last April, and there is no indication that the parents were ever given the chance to consent or refuse.

Though HRW strongly objects to governmental collection of DNA on a massive scale in general, the organization appears particularly incensed about the DNA samples extracted from children without their parents' consent.

"The authorities’ collection of DNA from children without their informed, meaningful, and freely given consent, or that of their caregivers, and extracted in educational settings where they could not meaningfully opt out or refuse to provide their personal health data, is a violation of children’s privacy," the report says.

"Furthermore, the authorities’ stated use for this data – crime detection – does not appear to constitute a legitimate, proportionate purpose that serves the child’s best interest."

This latest DNA drive in the TAR is hardly the first time the CCP has drawn the ire of human rights groups and the international community for coercing people to give blood samples under the pretense of criminal investigation. The Guardian claims that as far back as 2000, the CCP began establishing a massive DNA databank which contains DNA from approximately 40 million people. The Chinese province Xinjiang, the home of approximately 12 million native Uyghurs, has likewise conducted mass DNA collection drives without any particular criminal or public safety pretext.

According to the Guardian, representatives for the Chinese ministry of foreign affairs declined to comment on the report.

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Movies featuring Keanu Reeves were removed from Chinese streaming platforms after the movie star appeared at a charity benefit for Tibet



One of Hollywood’s most lovable movie stars may now be backlisted from the world’s largest film market as Chinese streaming platforms remove movies and other video content featuring Keanu Reeves after the actor appeared at a fundraiser hosted by a nonprofit affiliated with the Dalai Lama.

In early March, according to the Los Angeles Times, the “John Wick” and “Matrix” star participated in a benefit concert hosted by the New York-based nonprofit Tibet House. Reeves’s presence and role in the benefit concert appears to have angered Chinese censors as one Chinese streaming platform, Tencent Video, has scrubbed nearly 20 movies featuring Reeves from its catalog.

Tibet House is a nonprofit that — according to its website — was founded “at the request of His Holiness the Dali Lama” and is “dedicated to preserving Tibet’s unique culture at a time when it is confronted with extinction on its own soil.”

The Chinese Communist Party rejects the notion of Tibetan independence and views the Dali Lama — a Nobel Prize laureate — as a dangerous “separatist” as he continues to advocate for the geopolitical independence of Tibet and an end to Chinese rule over the region.

Reeves’s role in the Tibet House fundraiser came to light shortly after his latest film “The Matrix: Resurrections” debuted in Chinese cinemas. Chinese nationalists, however, were enraged by Reeves’s participation in this fundraiser and vowed to boycott the film after taking to government-sanctioned social media sites to lob insults at the actor.

In response to what the Chinese government perceived as Reeves snubbing China, last Monday China’s major streaming companies removed the “vast majority” of his filmography from their catalogs and “wiped search results related to his name in Chinese.”

When users ran searches for “Keanu Reeves,” which in translates to “Jinu Liweisi” on the streaming platform iQiyi, users are told: “Sorry, no results related to ‘Keanu Reeves’ were found. Due to relevant laws, regulations and policies, some results are not shown.”

Beloved movies like “The Matrix” trilogy and “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” as well as some of Keanu’s romantic movies like “Something’s Gotta Give” and “The Lake House” have been removed from Chinese streaming platforms.

Alex Yu, a researcher at the U.S.-based China Digital Times, said, “It’s a curious case that’s worth following. We tend to think of the censorship machine in China as this really coordinated monster, but the fact that we’re seeing these conflicting signals [between the online and theatrical markets] suggest that some of these measures come from different places.”

He added, “Why all of a sudden did they decide to take this measure at this exact moment?”

Reeves un-personing by Chinese censors adds him to the ever-growing list of celebrities who are unwelcome in China after expressing support for Tibet. This list includes Richard Gere, Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga, and, until recently, Brad Pitt.

Disney Blocks Tiananmen Square Simpsons Episode in Hong Kong

An episode of The Simpsons that ridicules Chinese Communist Party censorship has been removed from Disney’s streaming platform in Hong Kong in what appears to be another example of Hollywood caving to Beijing’s censorship demands.

The post Disney Blocks Tiananmen Square Simpsons Episode in Hong Kong appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.

'Stop the genocide now': NBA player Enes Kanter responds to Chinese censorship by doubling down, decrying Uighur genocide



Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter is decrying China's human rights abuses against the Uighurs, publicly calling for Chinese President Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party to shut down the slave labor camps and free the people.

"Stop the genocide now," Kanter declared in the video message shared Friday.

The NBA player referred to Jinping as the "heartless dictator of China."

Kanter's strong condemnation regarding China's brutal oppression of the Uighurs came after he released another video earlier this week describing Jinping as a "brutal dictator," while denouncing China over the issue of Tibet.

"Brutal dictator of China, Xi Jinping, I have a message for you and your henchmen. I will say it again, again, and again, loud and clear; I hope you hear me. Free Tibet, free Tibet, free Tibet," Kanter said in a video released on Wednesday.

While the athlete did not play in his team's game on Wednesday night, he sported footwear that included the phrase "Free Tibet," according to the Associated Press.

China appears to have retaliated for Kanter's outspoken condemnation, as Tencent has reportedly targeted Celtics games so that prior games and upcoming games will not be available for viewing.

The AP reported that "Tencent is not showing current or archived Boston Celtics games on its platforms," while the New York Times reported that "recent Celtics games were marked as unavailable for replay through Tencent" and "The website for Tencent Sports also indicated that upcoming Celtics games would not be livestreamed."

But Kanter, apparently undaunted, shared the video on Friday blasting China's oppression of the Uighurs, which he characterized as among "the worst human right abuses in the world today."

Heartless Dictator of China,XI JINPING and the Communist Party of China.I am calling you out in front of the who… https://t.co/Ms89u7NRd7

— Enes Kanter (@EnesKanter) 1634918907.0

China Pulls Celtics Games After Player Says ‘Free Tibet’

China pulled Boston Celtics games from the streaming service Tencent on Thursday after center Enes Kanter protested Beijing's repressive rule over Tibet and called President Xi Jinping a "brutal dictator."

The post China Pulls Celtics Games After Player Says ‘Free Tibet’ appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.

Chinese Internet Yanks Celtics Games From Air After NBA Player Called Xi A ‘Brutal Dictator’ For Oppressing Tibet

A Chinese internet company yanked Boston Celtics games from the air after the team's center, Enes Kanter, spoke out against dictator Xi Jinping.

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Tibet Is Still Fighting For Freedom Against Brutal Chinese Oppression

Barbara Demick's book, 'Eat the Buddha: Life and Death in a Tibetan Town,' provides yet more evidence that the Chinese Communist Party is an oppressive evil that must be confronted.