Friday, April 3, 2026

Good morning Bangkok. It's Friday and we're looking at 27-36°C (80-97°F) under partly cloudy skies with haze and a chance of isolated thunderstorms this afternoon. AQI is sitting at 75, moderate, so sensitive groups should keep an eye on it. Chiang Mai's burning season continues with persistent haze and elevated PM2.5. SET closed yesterday at 1,467.23, down 3.76 points. Gold bars at ฿72,500 sell / ฿72,300 buy after jumping ฿1,300 on Tuesday. USD running ฿32.52-32.77. Diesel at ฿44.24 after yet another ฿3.50 hike landed yesterday. Gasohol 95 at ฿43.25. 10 days until Songkran. Let's get into it.

Microsoft announced this week that it will invest more than US$1 billion in Thailand between 2026 and 2028 to build cloud and AI data center infrastructure, making it one of the company's largest regional bets in Southeast Asia. The announcement came after Microsoft Vice Chair Brad Smith met with PM Anutin in Bangkok on Monday. The money will fund new Azure cloud data centers built to Microsoft's global standards, including green energy and water efficiency commitments, with strategic partnerships signed with Gulf Development, AIS, CP Group, True Corporation, and True Internet Data Center to build and operate the infrastructure. Beyond hardware, Microsoft says it's already helped more than 2 million people in Thailand pick up AI-related skills over the past two years and is now targeting 150,000 worker certifications through new programs with the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Labour. Smith framed the whole thing around what he calls "AI diffusion," pointing to a gap between countries where nearly one in four workers actively use AI versus roughly one in seven in the developing world. Google already launched a cloud region in Bangkok. IT spending in Thailand is projected to top ฿1 trillion this year. The competition for Southeast Asia's AI hub is real, and Thailand just got a serious endorsement.

Bottom line: This matters for anyone living and working here. A billion-dollar infrastructure commitment from Microsoft signals to every other tech company watching the region that Thailand is a viable base, not just a tourist destination with good Wi-Fi. If you work in tech, data, AI, or anything adjacent, Bangkok just became a more interesting city to build a career in. If you don't, watch what happens to demand for office space, English-speaking talent, and coworking desks over the next 12 months. The money is real. Whether it actually reaches small businesses and everyday workers or stays locked in corporate partnerships is the question worth tracking

Public Health Minister Pattana Phromphat confirmed this week that the government will require every cannabis retailer seeking a license renewal to upgrade into a regulated medical facility, staffed by qualified doctors or traditional Thai medicine practitioners. No medical upgrade, no license. The numbers tell the story of how fast this sector collapsed: Thailand had roughly 18,000 cannabis shops after decriminalization in 2022. As of early 2026, officials say only about 15% remain, roughly 3,000 outlets. More than 7,000 shops shut down after failing to renew under stricter rules introduced when the government reversed course in June 2025, restricting all sales to medical use only and requiring prescriptions. Another 4,587 licenses expire this year, with 5,210 more expiring in 2027. Under the new framework, dispensaries must have certified healthcare personnel on site, maintain patient documentation, and operate essentially as clinics. The ministry is also building a public-facing database with visible storefront markers so consumers can verify licensing status. Minister Pattana highlighted the economic potential of medical cannabis in extraction and pharmaceuticals, noting several private firms have already invested in extraction plants meeting industrial standards. But the recreational era? That's done.

Bottom line: If you're an expat who enjoyed the brief window of easy cannabis access in Thailand, that chapter is closed and the door is being welded shut. The medical-only framework requires a Thai prescription (PT 33 form) from a licensed practitioner, valid for 30 days, non-refillable. International prescriptions are not recognized. Public consumption remains illegal. Penalties for possession without a prescription: fines up to ฿25,000 and up to three months in jail. For tourists still showing up expecting the 2022-2023 vibe, the surprise is going to be unpleasant. The green crosses are disappearing from your neighborhood one by one. If cannabis is part of your routine, get yourself set up through a legitimate medical clinic. The system exists. It's just not casual anymore.

One of Bangkok's most talked-about new cafes in 2026, and it's not in Thonglor or Ari. Unhour occupies a converted apartment building in the Srinakarin 16 area, and the design alone is worth the trip. Think industrial loft meets brutalist architecture: bare concrete walls, exposed steel framing, and a signature circular opening that cuts through the floor between levels, connecting the ground floor to the second story in a way that makes the whole space feel like a piece of sculpture. The coffee menu is carefully curated with rotating specialty beans and a matcha program that regulars keep coming back for. Pastries are small-batch: fresh croissants and a chocolate cake that pairs well with the darker roasts. Seating ranges from focused coworking zones with good outlets and natural light to a pet-friendly outdoor area that's surprisingly quiet. The morning light between 7 and 10 AM is something special here, pouring through the open structure in a way that makes the concrete glow. TimeOut Bangkok named it one of the city's 20 best new cafes of 2026, praising its "calm, focused energy that's genuinely rare in Bangkok." With a 4.5 on Google with 156 reviews.

TIP: Come on a weekday morning before noon for the best light and the fewest people. This is a genuine work-from-cafe spot, not just a photo op. Budget ฿120-200 for coffee and a pastry.

3 April 1973: Martin Cooper, an engineer at Motorola, stood on a New York City sidewalk and made the first handheld mobile phone call to Joel Engel at Bell Labs. He was essentially calling a rival to say: I'm calling you from a portable phone, and you're not. The device weighed 1.1 kilograms and had about 30 minutes of battery life. 53 years later, Microsoft is betting a billion dollars that Thailand can become an AI hub, your phone knows more about you than your doctor, and the only thing we've collectively gotten worse at since 1973 is actually picking up when someone calls. Cooper proved that one phone call could change everything. Today we have the technology to change everything, and we use it mostly to watch food reels and argue with strangers. Progress.

See you tomorrow morning.

— Devon

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