Protestors in Thailand's troubled south have clashed with police, in one of the most serious incidents in months. Up to three people were reported killed when police moved against protesters who had surrounded a police station. Hundreds of people had gathered to protest against the detention of six Muslim men in Narathiwat province. Thai television showed footage of soldiers firing M-16 automatic rifles. Police said the protesters also used weapons, and one witness told Reuters news agency that pistol shots came from the crowd. At least 20 people were reported to be wounded in the fracas, which lasted several hours and reportedly led to the arrest of more than 200 people. The protesters had gathered at the district police station in Takbai, in Narathiwat province. But Sommai Puthakul, the chief of the station, told the Associated Press that he did not know whey they had chosen there because the detainees were being held in the provincial capital and not in Takbai. The Thai Prime Minister, Thaksin Shinawatra, has flown to the south for an emergency visit. "I want to tell the Thai Muslims... that I know about everything that goes on in the south, and I will absolutely not allow the authorities to harass the public," he told reporters. "But when the authorities set up laws, they have to be respected," he said. Authorities have imposed a 1000-1800 curfew on the region, according to Reuters news agency.