Massive protest sparks Damascus clampdown

Police and militia patrols fanned out in the Syrian capitals Mezze district Sunday to prevent a repeat of protests against President Bashar al-Assad that have threatened his grip on Damascus,opposition activists said.

On the international front,China said it believed a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis was still possible. Chinas official Xinhua news agency reflected Beijings view a day after a Chinese envoy met Assad in Damascus while thousands of Syrians demonstrated in the heart of the capital in one of the biggest anti-government rallies there since an uprising started nearly a year ago.

Sunday,the body of Samer al-Khatib,a young protester who was killed when security forces opened fire on the protest,was buried in Mezze. Security forces maintained a heavy presence to prevent the funeral from turning into an anti-Assad demonstration.