Public policy
How public decisions are made and carried out, and what practical options exist for improving them.
Independent investigation · analysis · forecasting
Investigate the facts. Advise on practical responses. Examine possible futures.
STTInsights, or Strait Think Tank Insights, develops articles, investigative reports and proposals for governments, regional NGOs and other public-interest readers. Where the evidence is incomplete, the uncertainty and the further information required are stated.
- Public policy
- Economics
- Geopolitics
- Humanitarian conditions
- Institutional performance
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Research areas
The work looks at documented problems, their causes and their wider effects. It combines original records, historical context and economic or geopolitical analysis to find useful questions and develop practical recommendations.
Economics
Economic conditions and indicators, read alongside historical patterns to understand where they may lead.
Geopolitics
Developments across countries and sectors, connected to their history to examine possible outcomes.
Humanitarian conditions
Crises and the conditions people live in, with attention to what responses are practical and who can act.
Institutional performance
The gap between what institutions and systems are expected to do and what people actually experience.
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Publications
The written work has room for detail a broadcast cannot carry: the evidence behind an argument, alternative explanations, policy options and the basis for a recommendation.
Articles
Written analysis for readers who want the evidence and reasoning behind a development.
Investigative reports
Documented problems, their causes and their wider effects, with evidence status shown.
Policy briefs
Short briefs with an evidence appendix, written for the people who can act on them.
Recommendations
Practical options, made only where the findings support them.
Formal proposals
Proposals for governments and regional NGOs that state the remedy and the decision requested.
Work in preparation
Publications appear here once they have been checked and released. The first article is now available.
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In preparation
MH370 evidence review
An investigative report built from the research workbook’s MH370 questions, with sources, evidence status and reasoning recorded. Paired with a UCMI programme.
Investigative report -
Draft · 23 Oct 2026
Royal mercy, rule of law: making Malaysia’s pardon and house-arrest system transparent
Article 42, the Najib addendum ruling and the stalled House Arrest Bill: what the Constitution and courts say, and four proposals for a rule-based system that respects the Rulers.
Article -
Published · 23 Oct 2026
Hormuz under fire, Washington’s oil order and Malaysia’s exposure
Seven tankers reported damaged, a 4% jump in Brent and a US emergency oil order: what is verified, what is disputed, scenarios and the indicators Malaysia should watch.
Article -
In preparation
ACSSI maritime-coordination brief
A refresh of an earlier humanitarian maritime-coordination proposal. Dated facts are being updated, and the intended recipient and the exact action requested are being defined.
Policy brief
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One shared research process
The original source, date, claim, evidence status and follow-up question are kept together in one record. That record is used to write the article, adapt suitable findings for video and develop a policy proposal, but only where the findings support a practical recommendation.
The research record
- Source
- Original document, footage, transcript or recording
- Date
- When the source was created and when it was checked
- Claim
- What exactly is being asserted
- Evidence status
- Evidence · gap · lead · conclusion, with source quality
- Follow-up question
- What still needs to be found out
- Article or reportThe written analysis, with evidence and uncertainty shown.
- Video adaptationSuitable findings adapted for UCMI programmes.
- Policy proposalOnly where the findings support a practical recommendation.
- Structured indicatorsPassed to the STTInsights.ai country clock, each with a recorded reason for the update.
“Record does not establish this” is a valid result.
The investigative dataset keeps evidence, gaps, leads and conclusions apart. It records source quality and whether a conclusion can be published. Useful questions stay visible without assumptions being turned into findings. Questions stay open until evidence supports an answer.
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Proposals for governments and regional NGOs
Written proposals turn findings into options for the organisations able to act on them. The aim is work that public bodies and regional organisations can assess, challenge and use when considering action.
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Documented problem
What the evidence shows, with dated facts brought up to date.
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Evidence appendix
The sources behind each point, so the argument can be checked.
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Options and proposed remedy
Practical responses, with alternatives and their basis.
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The decision requested
The exact action being asked of the intended recipient.
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Covering letter
A short letter that identifies the recipient and the request.
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About STTInsights
STTInsights, meaning Strait Think Tank Insights, investigates facts, advises on practical responses and examines possible future outcomes.
STTInsights is an independent project developed by Ng Kok Ching, a former physician based in Malaysia. It brings together original records, historical context and economic or geopolitical analysis to examine possible outcomes and make uncertainty easier to understand.
STTInsights.ai is being developed to support this work. It organises sources, keeps track of reasoning and unresolved questions, and helps prepare briefings and scenarios. AI supports the research process. A person decides the conclusions and proposals.
Philosophy
- The user perspective
- Start from the gap between what a system is expected to do and what a person actually experiences.
- Truth and accountability
- Serious investigation, sharp observation, credibility and independence.
- Open questions stay open
- Until evidence supports an answer.
- Historical patterns
- Used for scenario analysis, with assumptions and uncertainty made explicit.
- Human responsibility for AI-assisted work
- Editorial selection, factual checks and final publication stay with a person.
- Practical public benefit
- Written investigation leads to practical recommendations.
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Sister projects
UCMI and STTInsights are separate projects that may cooperate through shared research and production, while each keeps its own purpose.
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Contact
Public contact details will be listed here once they are confirmed.