BANGKOK, Oct 24 (Reuters) - The Thai government may buy a frigate instead of a submarine from China after the Chinese manufacturer was unable to include a German engine as specified in the original deal, Thailand's defence minister has said. China has proposed replacing the German engines with Chinese-made equipment several rounds of negotiations did not yield a conclusive result. "We have proposed to China and they are considering it," defence minister Sutin Klungsang told a local media outlet on Tuesday. The defence minister said last week that procurement of submarine would be shelved for now and resume "when the country is ready". The Chinese submarine deal has attracted public criticism of the previous government, with the opposition and critics raising questions about whether was in the public interest, and whether submarines were necessary for security.

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Persons: Srettha Thavisin's, Sutin Klungsang, Sutin, Panarat Thepgumpanat, Panu, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Thomson Locations: BANGKOK, Thai, China, Thailand, Germany, Beijing