Romania : Miners Out-of-Control Thug Squad : After calling on them to disperse demonstrators last year, Iliescu now faces an unpredictable monster of his own creation.

Workers have begun replacing shattered window glass, and a steady autumn rain is washing away soot from firebombs lobbed against the granite facade of government headquarters on Victory Square.

But the terror unleashed during three days of rioting by angry miners last week has inflicted psychological and political damage that Romanians will find much more difficult to repair.

After the latest rampage by vigilantes who have served at the Bucharest leadership’s beck and call, many now fear that the ax-swinging mob has become a permanent force to be reckoned with.

Romanians across the political spectrum blame President Ion Iliescu for infusing the miners with an inflated sense of their value in a society disturbed by decades of repression.

And in a classic case of having to reap what one sows, Iliescu is now beholden to the ruthless laborers he transformed into a surrogate security force to ensure his hold on power.

“Now, they have developed an appetite for intervening in matters they have no business being involved in, like politics,” said Ioan Barbus, vice president of the opposition National Peasants Party. “We can expect similar and very serious turbulence in the future.”

Iliescu summoned the miners in January and June, 1990, to disperse demonstrators who accused him of betraying the reformist aims of the December, 1989, revolution that toppled Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

Those earlier assaults succeeded in putting down opposition but also frightened away foreign aid and investors who viewed the invasions as evidence that Romania was not ready to become part of the civilized world.

Just as memories of those brutal outbursts were fading and Romania was restoring ties with the West, the miners last week roared out of the impoverished Jiu Valley and commandeered trains for another attack on the capital, this time against the government and ostensibly to protest rising prices.

What triggered the latest attack remains a mystery although conspiracy theories abound. One holds that it was again Iliescu who called in the miners, aiming to get rid of Prime Minister Petre Roman.

Roman was the architect of Romania’s crash program for economic reform. He lifted price controls a year ago, which has resulted in some transitional confusion and an abundance of goods that few workers can afford.

While those able to work two jobs appreciate the availability of luxury goods, the average wage earner has been outraged by the drop in buying power caused by 170% inflation.

A seething resentment toward Roman has built up among the working class, which was the power base that gave Iliescu a resounding election victory last year.

After the miners’ latest attack, Iliescu announced the resignation of his government.

He also caved in to the miners’ demand for higher wages, reinforcing their impression that violence is an effective weapon for wresting concessions. Many expect the miners will invade again if the new government fails to suit them.

“The problem with the miners is that they now feel they are the most important labor force in Romania. Their attitude is that whatever they want, they can get by using force,” said Mihnea Constantinescu, spokesman for Roman’s disenfranchised government.

Each time the miners saved Iliescu, they looked to him for a bigger reward.

Now, with one government sacrificed to political expediency and a population reassessing its commitment to reform, Iliescu is also confronted with the likelihood of future waves of terror by the miners, an unpredictable monster of his own creation.

Williams was recently on assignment in Romania.