Foreigners here, behemoths in Russia

My husband, Horace Beasley, made a New Year's resolution to stop writing letters to this newspaper because it takes up too much of his drinking time. But he has remarked that if Jacaranda Boy ("Generalisations on foreigners in Thailand were off the mark", Letters, January 6) hasn't met many foreigners who are "whinging, sex-crazed, alcohol-fuelled has-beens", it's just because he's been hanging out with the wrong crowd.

However, both Horace and I are interested in Gerard Depardieu's recent acquisition of Russian citizenship. Even though we are expats, we have to pay US taxes. We find Russia's flat 13 per cent tax rate enormously attractive. You may call us tax whores, but despite Russia's awful winters and heavy-handed government, we would be interested in acquiring Russian citizenship if it comes with that sweet 13 per cent tax rate. Is it available to ordinary folks, or do you have to be a gargantuan French movie star with a penchant for urinating in the aisles of planes? We await a reply from the appropriate authorities.

If we qualify, when the mobs of Russian wannabes besiege the Russian Embassy in quest of citizenship, Horatzky Bezlovsky and Constantzia Bezlovska want to be first in line.

Constance Beasley

Bangkok