By Rachel Harvey BBC Jakarta correspondent

Authorities in Indonesia have allowed a boat carrying more than 40 Vietnamese asylum seekers to continue its journey despite admitting that the boat is not seaworthy.

The boat people left Vietnam on 6 April, heading for Australia, but were forced to stop in Indonesia after running out of supplies.

The boat was discovered by police in the mouth of the river in south Kalimantan, an Indonesian province on the island of Borneo.

It had apparently run out of fuel.

A local port official in Kalimantan said the boat lacked basic safety and navigation equipment and was therefore not seaworthy.

Health experts were called in to check on the condition of the boat's passengers. Police say local officials were particularly concerned that the 42 Vietnamese men, women and children might be infected with SARS, the respiratory virus which has been spreading rapidly in South East Asia.

After supplying more fuel, water, food and medicine, the police ordered the boat to leave Indonesian waters.

Indonesia has become a key transit point for illegal migrants trying to reach Australia. The issue has been a source of friction between the two countries, with the government in Canberra accusing Indonesia of not doing enough to stem the flow of boat people.

This latest incident comes at an awkward time. Australia and Indonesia are due to co-host a regional conference on people-smuggling next week.