Sri Lanka has invited the new foreign minister of Myanmar's junta to a regional meeting next month, sparking accusations on social media that Colombo is tacitly endorsing the military coup. 

There has been no formal international recognition of the regime which toppled Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1 although Wunna Maung Lwin, the junta's newly appointed foreign minister, has met virtually and physically with some regional counterparts.

Sri Lanka's invitation, seen by AFP, is for an April 1 virtual meeting of the foreign ministers of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand under the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

"The 17th ministerial meeting will greatly benefit from your Excellency's valued participation, and I look forward to our close engagement over the course of the meeting," Lankan Foreign Minister Dinesh Gunawardena says in the letter.

Myanmar activists bombarded the Sri Lankan foreign ministry's social media platforms to slam the decision.

"Shame on you!!!," said Twitter user SweZtun."You invited a member of the Burmese Military Terrorist group to your BIMSTEC meeting...You are shamelessly legitimising Terrorist group..."

"Sri Lanka supporting to terrorist group is the worst shameless behaviour after China," said another Twitter user.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military ousted the civilian government last month. Close to 2,000 people have been arrested and the death toll has climbed to more than 60, as Myanmar security forces attempt to quash the resistance.