T

he Langkat Military Command (Kodim) has detained a Russian tourist, Mickael Chervikov, for attempting to burn the Indonesian flag during a visit to Bukit Lawang tourist village on the eastern side of Mount Leuser National Park in North Sumatra.

Kodim commander Lt. Col. Roy Hansen J. Sinaga said the tourist was unhappy with the services provided by a tour guide, Man, during his trip to see orangutans at a sanctuary near Bukit Lawang.

Together with his mother and several other tourists, Chervikov went on a trek on Monday.

On Tuesday, he went to the office of the Indonesian Tour Guides Association (HPI) in Bukit Lawang to complain about his unpleasant experience, saying Man did not give him enough time to see orangutans or enjoy the scenery in the national park.

When he arrived at the HPI office, Chervikov remove a red-and-white flag from a flagpole.

'€œHe was angry; he then bought gasoline from outside the HPI office to use to burn the flag,'€ Roy told The Jakarta Post.

Before he had a chance to burn the flag, however, village supervisory non-commissioned officers (Babinsa), who were not far from the site of incident, confiscated the flag and the gasoline, Roy said.

Babinsa officer Second Sgt. Edi Sulianto took Chervikov to the Bahorok Police office for questioning, along with the evidence.

'€œThe police are in charge of this matter, and they are the ones that have the authority to continue all legal processes needed,'€ Roy said.

North Sumatra Police spokesperson Adj. Sr. Comr. MP Nainggolan said the police had detained Chervikov on Tuesday and questioned him on Wednesday.

Langkat Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Dwi Asmoro said that after thorough consideration, Chervikov'€™s act could not be categorized as an insult to the country. '€œThere were not enough criminal elements to charge him. We will hand over the case to the Medan Immigration Office,'€ Dwi said.

According to the law on the national flag, language, state emblems and national anthem, anyone who damages, rips, burns or conducts other acts with the intention to insult or undermine the national flag could be sentenced to five years in prison or pay a maximum Rp 500 million in damages.

The national park covers an area of 800,000 hectares, straddling the border of North Sumatra and Aceh provinces. It is home to some 4,000 animal species, many of which are protected, such as Sumatran tigers, orangutans, elephants and rhinoceroses, which are targeted by poachers.

The local forestry and horticulture agency estimated the population of Sumatran tigers in the park to be around 400 or 500, while there are believed to be 2,000 Sumatran elephants, 230 rhinos and 6,624 orangutans.

Separately, Oscar-winning actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio also visited the park recently, accompanied by fellow actors Adrien Brody and Fisher Stevens.

They took a tour around a research facility in Ketambe, Southeast Aceh regency. During their visit, they met three Sumatran orangutans and observed the animals'€™ behavior.