DHAKA: Malaysia’s authoritarian government, which has been under harsh global scrutiny over the handling of its missing-plane drama, said Tuesday it would compile ‘false’ media reports over the crisis and consider filing lawsuits.

Transport and defence minister Hishammuddin Hussein said on his Twitter feed the country’s attorney general had been instructed to ‘compile evidence and advise’ on possible legal action, reports The Straits Times.

Earlier in the day Hishammuddin was quoted by the Malay Mail newspaper as saying, ‘We have been compiling all the false reports since day one. When the time is right, the government should sue them’.

The MH370 saga and resulting world attention has put Malaysia’s long-ruling government, which muzzles its own pliant mainstream press, in the unaccustomed position of having to answer tough questions from reporters.

BDST: 1849 HRS, APR 01, 2014