US sends mixed message to Myanmar military

Human rights advocates and some lawmakers say the United States is sending the wrong signal by opening the door for broader engagement with Myanmar's widely criticized military just weeks after President Barack Obama assured opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi that closer ties weren't going to happen soon.

Congress, acting at the administration's request, is expected to allow US training in some noncombat activities for the military in Myanmar, also known as Burma. This would be part of a sweeping defense policy bill slated to pass Friday.

Lawmakers who oversee US foreign policy say the provision is ill-timed. Political reforms have stalled, tens of thousands of minority Muslims are still living in displacement camps after attacks by Buddhist extremists, and fighting is heating up between the government and ethnic rebels.