Dalai Lama regrets asking boy to ’suck my tongue’

The Dalai Lama "often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way", the statement said. Photo: EPA

The Dalai Lama, the Tibetans’ 87-year-old spiritual leader, has apologised after footage showed him asking a young boy to “suck my tongue” at a public event.

“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,” said a statement on the exiled leader’s Twitter account, which has 19 million followers.