Noel Thompson, Freelance Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Jamaica Labour Party campaign organiser for South East St. Elizabeth, Jeremy Palmer, considers himself 'lucky to be alive', after gunmen invaded his house and shot at him, sending him diving through a window for safety.

His attackers reportedly made off with a briefcase and a laptop, as well as his two cellular phones, and a third belonging to his wife.

The Palmers reside in Southfield, St. Elizabeth.

"Thank God I'm alive. I am a practising Christian and I dedicate my life to Him. I know God is protecting me," Palmer remarked. "I am badly shaken up by the incident, but this will not deter me from working relentlessly on election day. It has made me more determined."

The 59-year-old attorney-at-law said the information in the documents on the laptop concerns Monday's general election, but stressed that with their being in the hands of his opponents, it should not bear any serious consequences.

Politically motivated

He believes the attackwas politically motivated.

"I have been where guns are fired, but this was a close call."

Giving an account of the ordeal, Palmer said he was in bed shortly before 2:00 a.m. yesterday, but was not asleep, when he heard strange sounds inside his house. He said he had a feeling that it was none of his family members so he went to investigate.

"I was unarmed. One shot was fired at me and I retreated. A second shot was fired and I escaped from the building by jumping through a window," Palmer explained.

"They wanted me, so I didn't want them to interfere with my family."

He said he contacted the police who arrived within the hour and found spent shells at the scene.

Palmer served the South East St. Elizabeth constituency as JLP Member of Parliament between 1983 and 1989. He is campaign adviser to Franklyn Witter, who is going up against the People's National Party's Norman Horne. Witter has condemned the incident.