What began as a golden retirement in Thailand for Martin Savage, a 65-year-old retired British engineer, spiralled into a devastating saga of betrayal, financial ruin, and time behind bars.
Savage, who once helped build the Channel Tunnel, had moved to Thailand nearly 20 years ago with his wife Sudarat, 66, a Thai-British national. With hard-earned savings and high hopes, the couple invested heavily in property. Their portfolio included a family home in Ubon Ratchathani and a 40-room apartment block in Pattaya. For years, rental income funded their dream lifestyle.
But by 2010, that dream had started to unravel. A bitter dispute with a neighbour over a driveway snowballed into disaster. Because Thai law prevents foreigners from owning land, all assets were listed solely under Sudarat’s name. When she borrowed £34,000 from a local moneylender, the couple claim they walked straight into a trap. Instead of repayment, the lender allegedly seized their Pattaya apartment block — valued at £1.2 million — and transferred ownership for just £45,000.
“He was a predator; this was his business,” Savage said. “In Thailand, all you have to do is pay somebody in the office a bit of money, and it happens.”
The couple challenged the deal in court, but their fight only worsened their plight. In 2017, both were arrested after police allegedly tricked them into signing falsified documents. They spent three months in Nong Plalai Prison, a grim experience Savage described as life-threatening.
“There was barely room to sleep on the concrete floor. I was 57 and suffering from asthma. It could have killed me,” he recalled.
Upon release, the nightmare deepened. Their Ubon home and three additional land plots had also been sold under suspicious circumstances. According to court records, the same individual had signed as both buyer and seller. Their attempt to recover the properties through legal channels failed, leaving them destitute.
From living comfortably off rental income, the couple now scrape by on less than £100 a month from Savage’s UK pension and small commissions from Sudarat’s property brokering.
“We’re barely surviving,” Savage admitted.
Sudarat expressed her heartbreak: “I am so disappointed in our legal system. I used to have great faith, but I have been let down.”
The British Embassy confirmed that it had supported Savage during his detention but said it could not intervene in the property and legal disputes.
Today, Savage’s story serves as a stark warning to other foreign retirees considering investing in Thailand.
“This should be a warning to others,” he cautioned. “Don’t think it can’t happen to you.”
