Flight MH370: Minister Defends Malaysian Governments Handling of Investigation

Malaysia's defence minister and acting transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein, has defended the country's handling of the investigation into the missing Malaysian Flight MH370.

The Malaysian government has been the focus of criticism by the media and the international community for its inconsistent reporting of findings relating to the missing passengers and its insensitive treatment of their relatives.

Hussein told Sky News it had been an "unprecedented situation without benchmark," however he admitted that mistakes had been made in how the relatives of the missing had been treated.

"I'm not saying MAS (Malaysia Airlines) handled it perfectly," he said. "We have to deal with family members who are trying to grapple with it. And sometimes people are not sensitive, including the Malaysian government, including MAS."

Reacting to protests by Chinese relatives outside the Malaysian Embassy in Beijing and in Kuala Lumpur, he said that while he accepted there was a need for answers, he was not able to provide them.

"I know there are families who are really not happy with how things are going and we try to manage it. But at the same time there is also the other side of the coin where other people have been dealing with their grief in a different way."

"I can only do my best. I can only tell you what I know. But the problem with the families is that the one question they want to know I don't have the answers to just yet, which is: Where are their loved ones? Where is the plane?"

As the search for the aircraft's black box continues, Hussein said that the criminal investigation is ongoing with MI6, the CIA and Chinese intelligence officials working together to try to find out what happened to missing flight MH370.

Everyone on the flight, including the two pilots, is a suspect, said Hussein. "Everyone on board remains under suspicion as it stands," he said. "As we look into the black box, we look into new facts. It isn't just MI6 involved in the investigation, it is Chinese intelligence, it's also the FBI.

"I've asked them to re-intensify their investigations, just as we did with the radar data. I find it difficult to say more without jeopardising the investigation. The truth will prevail."

As investigators hone in on the location of the black box, Hussein said the government will continue it's their efforts to solve the mystery of Flight MH370.

"I think it is the black box and I hope it is the black box, but if not I will still not give up," he said.

Flight 370 disappeared from sight on March 8. Possible explanantions for its disappearance have been focused on a range of theories, from equipment failure, damage to the fuselage, a suicide mission and a terror attack implicating the pilots.