Malaysian defence minister Hishammuddin Hussein has come under fire after agreeing to a tweet that says the air disaster has been a “blessing in disguise”.

Malaysia official news agency Bernama journalist Ismail Amsyar tweeted that the disaster had allowed the country to experience the “beauty of unity”.

News Ltd has reported the Minister responded six minutes later saying “right you are”, with the tweet now deleted.

#MH370 is a blessing in disguise for all of us. I understand now the beauty of unity, the sweetness of having each other. @HishammuddinH2O

— Ismail Amsyar (@IsmailAmsyar) April 2, 2014

Mr Amsyar’s followers were quick to question how sensitivity and appropriate the comments were. He stuck to his line, defending his statement.

@Handynsac @HishammuddinH2O got what u mean..but m not being insensitive or anything. I look at them as my family and i want them back. — Ismail Amsyar (@IsmailAmsyar) April 2, 2014

Plane “may never be found”

Malaysia’s police chief Khalid Abu Bakar has warned the plane may never be found as a criminal investigation is opened into the plane’s disappearance.

“At the end of the investigations, we may not even know the real cause. We may not even know the reason for this incident,” he said.

All passengers have been clear of the four key investigation areas of hijacking, sabotage and psychological and personal problems.

Police have conducted more than 170 interviews with family members of the pilots and crew members, and that even cargo and food served on the plane were being investigated in case of sabotage.

Malaysia PM visits Perth

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is set to tour the RAAF’s Pearce air base near Perth to thank those searching for Flight MH370, which vanished on its way to Beijing more than three weeks ago.

Mr Najib arrived in Perth on Wednesday night and on Thursday will visit the air base to the city’s north, the departure point for the eight-nation search effort in the southern Indian Ocean.

He’s expected to be accompanied by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Defence Minister David Johnston.

Mr Najib will then tour the new Joint Agency Co-ordination Centre near the West Australian parliament, which is co-ordinating the search under the leadership of retired air marshal Angus Houston.

Mr Najib’s government and Malaysia Airlines have come under fire for their handling of the disaster, which is proving one of aviation’s greatest mysteries.

The plane disappeared on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8 with 239 people aboard.

The families of the many Chinese passengers have been most critical, venting their anger at officials and holding protests as information about the flight’s fate trickled through.

Relatives were furious when Mr Najib announced on March 24 that the plane had crashed into the southern Indian Ocean and all on board had died, before a single piece of wreckage had been found.