Participants in the forum for democracy and human rights that took place in Bender on March 11 have sent an appeal to Presidents Vladimir Voronin, Viktor Yushchenko, Vladimir Putin and leaderships of the OSCE, European Union and United State, saying that they “have received with understanding” the decision of Ukraine and Moldova to restore the legality at the Moldovan-Ukrainian border. They ask Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop practicing double standards, which affect Russia more than Moldova, undermining its authority in front of own citizens and the entire world. They invite the Moldovan and Ukrainian leaders to demonstrate continuity and firmness in this issue and to take concrete measures in order to oppose armed provocations that Smirnov and his entourage can organise. Also, the residents of Transnistria are invited not to fall under influence and to support the control measures instituted by Moldova and Ukraine in the Transnistrian section of the Moldovan-Ukrainian border because this is the only way to learn what goods are made and exported from Transnistria. “The residents of the Transnistrian region are watching for a long time and with much concern how the Smirnov regime appropriates and exports illegally and irresponsibly the goods from their land, how it misinforms and threatens the Transnistrian population in 15 years of permanent governance, leading this territory to poverty and misery. The family clans of Igor Smirnov, Victor Zaharov and Vladimir Antiufeev consider Transnistria their provate property and use any methods including the physical termination of those who try to protect the population against abuses.” The chairman of the temporary coordination council of the forum for democracy and human rights on the left bank of the Dniester river, Stefan Uratu, told Monday a news conference that the forum brought together 15 nongovernmental organizations based on the left bank of the Dniester river. He noted that the forum has examined a recent decree of Igor Smirnov that bans the foreign financing of NGOs and the possible consequences on bad situation of democracy and human rights in the region. According to participants in the forum, this decree runs counter a number of international acts on human rights, Moldovan legislation and even normative documents of the self-proclaimed Transnistrian republic, which committed itself in 1992 to respect the international human rights standards. The participants in the forum demanded the annulment of this decree and insurance of free activity of envisaged NGOs. Uratu noted that the Tiraspol regime is in agony and it sees only coloured revolutions in any shadow and action. He added that the participants in the forum warned the international organizations that the Tiraspol regime could order their physical termination in future.