Paris  - Three policemen were injured by gunfire early Wednesday in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe as protests against the high cost of living intensified on the Caribbean island group, France-Info radio reported.

The gunfire erupted as youths armed with shotguns went on a rampage in a shopping centre near the capital, Pointe-a-Pitre. Three youths were arrested.

Protesters set up barricades on streets in Pointe-a-Pitre and set them on fire while several stores in the city were looted overnight. The capital's mayor, Jacques Bangou, accused the government in Paris of abandoning the city to lawless youths.

"We have been abandoned by the state," he told France-Info.

Guadeloupe is entering the fifth week of a general strike to protest the high cost of living and to demand state aid.

The protests were being led by the collective Liyannaj Kont Pwofitasyon, whose spokesman, Elie Domota, has demanded an immediate wage rise of 200 euros (252 dollars) a month for low-wage workers.

President Nicolas Sarkozy is to meet with officials from Guadeloupe Thursday to discuss the crisis. The French president has tried to avoid dealing with the issue personally, but the escalation of the protests forced his hand.

On Wednesday, Sarkozy was to hold talks with French trade union leaders and representatives of employers associations to draw up measures to help low-wage workers in mainland France. (dpa)