Dear Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon,

Tens of thousands of civilian lives in Sri Lanka currently hang in the balance. As you know, the UN’s own reporting has shown that nearly 6500 people have been killed just since January 2009, caught in the crossfire between the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the Sri Lankan Military.
 
The Security Council’s informal consideration of the situation in Sri Lanka has not been sufficient. I ask you to:

• Urge the Security Council to hold a formal meeting on the crisis immediately, so that the Council can take the necessary measures to address the humanitarian and human rights crisis;
  
  
• Call for an international commission of inquiry to investigate violations of international humanitarian law by all sides; and
  
  
• Release all information the UN has on civilian casualties and humanitarian needs, including satellite photos that show the devastating impact of bombing and shelling into the no-fire zone.

Sincerely,