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everal local Myanmar watchers, including academics and a House legislator, have thrown weight behind the US in its push for the UN to investigate crimes against humanity in the country.

House of Representatives Myanmar caucus head Eva K. Sundari said the Indonesian government should support the proposal since all other options have been exhausted to democratize the restive country.

“The US approached Myanmar during a visit by its special envoy, Kurt Campbell, last year. However, [its] soft approach did not bring much change and it is high time we change strategy to ensure that Myanmar carries out democratization,” he said.

The Associated Press reported that Myanmar’s pro-democracy parties praised the US’ decision to support a UN war crimes commission as a milestone but cautioned it was too soon for optimism.

“We support and welcome the decision by the United States. However, this is just the first step and several more steps have to be taken before it is actually implemented,” said Tin Oo, vice chairman of Aung San Suu Kyi’s recently disbanded opposition party, the National League for Democracy, as quoted by the Associated Press.

The US said Wednesday it would support the creation of a UN commission to look into alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes in Myanmar. There has been no decision whether the commission mandate would come under the UN’s Security Council, Human Rights Council or its secretary-general.

A source closely connected to ASEAN issues in Indonesia said the proposed commission would have the most power if its mandate came from the Security Council. The source, who declined to be identified, said, however, China would possibly veto any plan submitted to the Security Council due to its close economic relations with Myanmar.

“The concern is that ASEAN will have no role in the commission, despite that we have worked out ways to engage the country democratically,” the source said.

Jakarta is a strong advocate for democratization in Myanmar, although it has rejected sanctions and refrained from intervening in Myanmar’s domestic politics.

“We have been very soft so far. Our so-called constructive engagement has failed to bear any fruit,” said Eva, adding that she was optimistic Jakarta would be tougher on Myanmar after assuming ASEAN’s rotating chairmanship next year.

University of Sanata Dharma history professor Baskara T. Wardaya said a UN inquiry would pressure Myanmar ahead of elections on Nov. 7, the nation’s first in two decades.

“We have to support the UN inquiry because we cannot ignore the injustices and the crimes occurring in Myanmar,” he said.

He said the inquiry should be carried out before the election so that the junta could not exploit the poll to legitimize a new “elected” government.

“The military may use the election as false legitimation to block any foreign pressure. It will be more effective if the inquiry can start before the elections,” he said.