By Tenzin Nyidon
DHARAMSHALA, April 28: Indian News Agency NDTV has apologised for hurting the sentiments of His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s followers due to its coverage on the interaction between H.H the Dalai Lama and a young Indian boy, TYC President Gonpo Dhondup who attended a closed door meeting with representatives of NDTV at its headquarter told Phayul on Friday. Tibetan activist group, Tibetan Youth Congress on Thursday announced on their social media handle that they are, “pleased to inform our fellow Tibetans, as well as all those who supported us in our fight against the CCP’s smear campaign, that NDTV has retracted the controversial video ‘Dalai Lama Controversial Video Explained,’ which was published on April 10, from its platforms. We achieved this victory following our meeting with NDTV’s editorial director, Sonia Singh Ji, yesterday.”
The development follows a sustained effort by a group of independent Tibetan activists who launched a persistent campaign to condemn NDTV for purportedly showing the Tibetan spiritual leader kissing the boy at a public event, over the course of the last few weeks.
NDTV was among the first Indian news agencies to release defamatory article pieces and videos on His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama’s playful interaction with a young Indian boy. These defamatory news pieces were highlighted with the title, “Suck My Tongue: Dalai Lama Controversy Explained” by widely circulating the edited video clip, hurting and angering Tibetans and Dalai Lama’s followers around the world.
Speaking to Phayul, Gonpo Dhundup, the President of Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) who was present with the other demonstrators outside of NDTV’s headquarters on Wednesday confirmed that the Editorial Director of NDTV, Sonia Singh has accepted the agendas laid by the Representatives of TYC and quoted Sonia Singh as saying, “I am sorry and very much concerned about the hurt sentiments of His Holiness’ followers”.
The closed door meeting with the representatives of the news agency and Tibetan activists agreed to address few issues, as confirmed by the TYC President; NDTV will hold a meeting with regard to the edited video clip that they have uploaded, NDTV will not allow any news concerning His Holiness to be published without the approval of Editorial Director of NDTV, Sonia Singh in the future and NDTV will welcome and publish an article of Tibetan perspective on the recent incident. However, they are yet to receive an official written apology or any immediate action from NDTV, Gonpo Dhundup added.
5 Responses
This apology to The Dalai Lama and his followers needs to go public so the people around the world can see or hear that an apology has been made with regards to the vicious misrepresentation of this great leader.
Please send it to other news broadcasters.
Thank you
I don’t see an actual apology. If there was indeed an apology to their coverage, wouldn’t it be formally and publicly issued by the news agency? There is no admission of wrongdoing. Time to learn from this fiasco and move on now.
The transnational criminal syndicate CCP has been plotting to denigrate, disparage, discredit and malign the Dalai Lama ever since it set its evil eyes on Tibet. In 1949, when the Panchen Lama was only 15 years old. Mao asked the child Panchen Lama to write a letter to the Tibetan people to rise against the Tibetan Government! The Tibetans loved the Dalai Lama and such a utterance was sacrilege in Tibet as it is today! In the aftermath of the Tibetan National Uprising on March 10th 1959 and the exodus of the Tibetans after the Dalai Lama’s flight to India, the CCP called the Dalai Lama a “fugitive”! Made baseless accusations of taking Tibet’s gold, which rightly belonged to the Dalai Lama as the legitimate leader of the country. It termed the spontaneous anti-Chinese rebellion in Tibet as “CIA” inspired to discredit Tibet’s claim to national independence by killing Chinese spies and collaborators and declaring “TIBET BELONGS TO TIBETANS! CHINESE GO BACK TO CHINA! Then in the mid seventies, another bogus news was spread from Calcutta where Jyoti Basu, a communist activist and politician had come to power. It again concocted a story that an Irish woman by the name of Dervla Murphy who was working at the TCV in Dharamsala was cast as having a “romantic rendezvous” with the Dalai Lama which was nothing but a laughing stock! In 1970, a disgruntled Tibetan man called Gungthang Tsultrim was murdered in Clement Town near Dehradun in today’s Uttarkand. The pro-Chinese Indian media let by leftest outlets again cast aspersions on the Dalai Lama by terming it as being committed by a “Dalai Lama aid”!
The evil CCP has never let down it’s attack on the Dalai Lama but all of them have been discredited and consigned to the dustbin of history. In 2003, the CCP has digitally fabricated another bogus tale to discredit and undermine the authority and impeccable record of the Dalai Lama. The video clip was stenographically mutilated to make it look creepy by a China man by the name of Yin Sun who is purported to live in France. The Twitter account was opened on the first of April with the account name recorded as Robert Reed. It was activated on the 8th of April (two months after the Dalai Lama’s audience with the public on 28th February) with the sole message of the manipulated video clip and no other additions. After the video clip had gone viral, the account holder acknowledged his success in demolishing the character of the person in the video!!! He took credit with glee for accomplishing his mission! There is not a shred of doubt that it was a hired Chinese CCP agent who was responsible to spread the false and concealed video which gave the impression of obscenity. It’s another attempt by the illegitimate CCP gangsters who were behind the insidious video clip doctored to suit their evil agenda. It is clear as day light that the it was an attempt at character assassination of the Dalai Lama! The CCP used all its resources, media and political connections such as the endorsement by Samir Khan, the Pakistani CCP lap dog, and its officers including PRC representatives abroad to tarnish the impeccable reputation of the Dalai Lama. Unfortunately, while the social media bubble may have been rife with confusion and contrition, the world at large paid scant attention let alone believe in its veracity! As the controversy was raging, the Dalai Lama was conferred Scheherazade Foundation Gold Medal which was soon followed by the Ramon Magsaysay Award which he had initially received in 1959. This was followed by his invitation to attend the Global Buddhist Conference in Delhi in which he was the key note speaker on the second day. The CCP’s attempt to undermine and sully the good name of the Dalai Lama has failed on every attempt and the Dalai Lama remains a colossus on the world stage as the greatest peace advocate and universal brotherhood! However, this is by no means for Tibetans and Tibetan Buddhists to be complacent. The CCP is a poisonous snake and until it is crushed, there is no time to rest. Gone are the days, when pro-China elements in the Tibetan exile community who cozied up with the CCP, even carried banners with Xi Jinping standing shoulder to shoulder with the Dalai Lama allegedly as a symbol of allegiance to the Middle Path to which the CTA is fixated for the last forty years. Worse was the brandishing of the Chinese communist blood soaked red rag along with the snow lion flag of Tibet by feckless Tibetans in exile! It goes to show the gullibility of Tibetans who have no understanding of the CCP’s evil nature. Every thinking Tibetan must now realise that the CCP is out to destroy us, our leader, culture, religion, language and identity. It will never dither from that evil intent. We therefore also must never ever be fooled by the CCP’s propaganda being spouted on internet and refuse to watch and refuse to believe anything that is peddled by the CCP mafia. Only this would do justice to the malicious plot to soil the Dalai Lama’s reputation and high standing on the international stage which brought such mental anguish to every Tibetan who loves the Dalai Lama! Every Tibetan should look to the CCP snake as you would if a rattle snake is in your yard.
Ndtv should make an official statement of apology to his Holiness and his followers using the same platform. Just a close door meeting and apology will not work.
This is excellent news. Many people believed the truth about what truly happened that day and this heavily edited Propaganda clickbait video was a nasty smear campaign which has caused so much damage and hurt to 1000s followers of this peaceful and compassionate man.