If the search for MH370 hasn’t gone completely off the rails, Malaysia’s public relations front certainly has.  After days of conflicting statements and no results the spirit of international cooperation is collapsing.  China accused Malaysia of concealing information and Vietnam suspended assistance to the multinational effort.

“We don’t know which information published by Malaysia is true and which is false, or whether they have released all the information they have so far,” read the editorial in China Communist Party-controlled Global Times newspaper.  “Is the Malaysian military intentionally hiding something?”

This came as Malaysian military officials denied reports that their own radar tracked the flight from the South China Sea where its transponders stopped working, to the Strait of Malacca.  And as the sun set on the fifth day of the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, officials in Kuala Lumpur had no concrete facts but did issue more denials.

“We have nothing to hide,” said acting transportation minister Hishamuddin Hussain.  “We have been very transparent with the media and the public.”

Earlier, Vietnam scaled back its search effort until Malaysia gives it more precise information to act on.  An official later said it still hadn't gotten word from Kuala Lumpur, but is resuming efforts on Thursday.

Flight MH 370 carried 239 passengers and crew, including six Australians, when it went missing on Saturday morning early into its scheduled Kuala Lumpur-to-Beijing run.