Casino boss gambles on nudists

BANGKOK (AFP): Senator Vikrom Isiri, the entrepreneur who built the Andaman Club casino and hotel on Myanmar’s Son island, close to Ranong, now plans to build a nudist colony on the nearby island of St Luke’s. The Nation newspaper reported that the resort will cater to Europeans who “like to take their clothes off in public”. “Everybody [guests] will have to be naked,” Chairat Meksukree, an adviser to Sen Vikrom, was quoted as saying. Sen Vikrom, a successful entrepreneur, was granted a 45-year concession by the Myanmar junta to build the camp on St Luke’s. He also plans to build a luxury resort, complete with golf course and dolphin shows, in Ranong province, and is on the verge of launching an airline, Phuket Air, which will fly customers from Bangkok via Phuket to Ranong, where the planned casino and nudist colony would be just a boat ride away.