Badung – Niki has issued an apology. The Russian tourist admitted that his reckless act of zig-zagging on a motorbike while holding a bottle of beer was a mistake.

“I, Niki, acknowledge my wrongdoing and regret it. If I ever do it again, I am prepared to take responsibility for my actions,” read the letter of apology penned by the foreign man on Saturday, September 23, 2023. The letter also bears Niki’s signature above a 10,000 Indonesian Rupiah stamp.

The owner of Family Rental, I Made Wira Atmaja, confirmed that Niki indeed wrote the letter. The tourist had rented the motorbike from Family Rental for a week during his vacation in Bali.

Here are the facts related to Niki’s erratic motorbike driving:

Zig-zag Driving for Content

Wira Atmaja explained that Niki’s zig-zag motorbike maneuver was done playfully. He was unaware that a video of him zig-zagging on the motorbike while holding a beer bottle had gone viral on social media.

“He did it for content, and he didn’t know that the video had gone viral,” Atmaja stated. The bottle’s contents had already been consumed while the tourist was at a tourist attraction.

Atmaja clarified that the foreign tourist promptly returned to his home country, Russia, after returning the rented motorbike. However, the Bali Regional Police had briefly investigated his whereabouts.

Possessing a Driving License

Wira claimed that he had checked all of Niki’s driving documents, including his driver’s license (SIM) and helmet.

Wira had also explained the rules of driving in Indonesia before allowing the foreigner to ride the automatic scooter with license plate DK 6585 FCC. “Everything (helmet and SIM) was in order,” he said.

According to Wira, he was affected by Niki’s actions. Consequently, he made an agreement with the tourist to refrain from repeating such traffic violations.

“I have drafted a letter with him (Niki), stating that if he does this (traffic violations) again, he will be dealt with by the authorities,” Wira firmly stated.