KUALA LUMPUR, March 6 — The Malaysian government will take pains to “further engage” families of the 239 people who were aboard Flight MH370, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said amid claims that the next-of-kin have been side-lined and treated like a “nuisance”.

In an interview with US broadcaster CNN, Liow denied that they have not been in touch with or updated the families on the on-going search for the Malaysia Airlines jetliner, stressing that they share progress reports with the next-of-kin every week.

“I think to say that we didn’t give the details to the NoK is not true, I think we should further engage them,” he said in the interview posted on the broadcaster’s website.

Liow noted that the government is given a weekly progress report that outlines the details of the week’s search that even includes pictures of objects found on the sea bed.

He, however, conceded that Putrajaya could do more if the situation warranted it.

“If you said so, if the NoK feel they are not given enough, we will do more,” he said when asked if he believed more could be done for the families of those missing.

Liow declined to comment when asked if Malaysia will give its commitment to the families that it will not rest until the plane is found, stressing that whatever decision is based on guidance from experts engaged in the international search.

“I do not want to pre-empt this situation. As I said that I will have to rely on the expert view before I comment further,” he said.

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 vanished while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing last March 8, along with 239 passengers and crew.

It is believed to have gone down in one of the deepest and most remote areas of the Indian Ocean, several hundred kilometres off the coast of Western Australia, where search efforts are underway.