Malaysia is having difficulty tracking down alleged Muslim militants wanted by Thailand because the names provided by Bangkok are confusing, an official said in remarks published today.

The list of suspects who have allegedly sought refuge in Malaysia was incomplete and ambiguous, Internal Security Ministry secretary-general Abdul Aziz Mohamad Yusof told the Bernama news agency.

"It is difficult for us to track down the individuals because their names and addresses are incorrect and some of them have three or four Thai names, and then names spelt and translated into Malay, and aliases," he said.

Malaysia has pledged to cooperate with Thailand in its attempts to quell a separatist rebellion in the south of the country, but says Thai allegations that militants take refuge across the border are not backed by enough detail for the authorities to act against them.

Minor spat

Earlier this year Malaysia did arrest a man identified by Thailand as the alleged mastermind of an upsurge in Muslim separatist violence which has left at least 570 people dead in the past year, but some confusion remains over his name and nationality.

Malaysia identified him as Abdul Rahman Ahmad or Deraman Koteh while the Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra named him as Doramae Kuteh or Chae Kumae Kuteh.

A minor diplomatic spat erupted after Thailand leaked the arrest to the media and said it would seek to extradite him as he held dual nationality.

Malaysia said it had not received a formal application for the suspect's extradition and that there was no evidence the suspect was a Thai citizen.