An Exclusive Interview With the Dutch Coffee Shop Owner Sentenced to 103 Years in a Thai Prison

It's a sunny day in Bangkok. The wet season has finally made way to the dry and warm Thai winter. The city is calm, awaiting the herds of tourists who will arrive in December. It's even quiet at the normally buzzing Erawan shrine, in the centre of the city. This was the place where a bomb went off last August, killing more than twenty people. Since the attack, the shrine has become even more popular with tourists.

On the opposite side of the road, Dutchman Johan van Laarhoven (55) enters the Police General Hospital. Two weeks ago, the Thai criminal court found him guilty of money laundering and added a conviction of 103 years to his 15 month remand (he'll be serving sentences concurrently, however, so he'll spend a total of 20 years inside). Johan claims to be innocent.

In 2011, Van Laarhoven sold The Grass Company – his...

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