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Thai Police Looking for Suspect in Bangkok Bombing; A Look Inside the U.S.-Trained Syrian Rebel Fighting Force; Crews Discover No Survivors In Crashed Indonesian Flight. Aired 8:00a-9:00a ET

Aired August 18, 2015 - 8:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[08:00:38] KRISTIE LU STOUT, HOST: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. And welcome to News Stream.

Now searching for answers after a deadly bombing in the heart of Bangkok. Now Thai police look for a man who they say may be connected to

the attack.

And crews reach the wreckage of a passenger plane that went down in Indonesia, but there are no survivors.

Plus, trained, armed and well funded, but incredibly out-numbered. A CNN exclusive report on the American-backed moderate Syrian rebels.

There is tighter security across Bangkok today as Thai authorities search for this man seen in Surveillance video. He has been called a

suspect in Monday's deadly bombing near a popular shrine and tourist area.

And Thailand's prime minister says that the attack was not just aimed at taking innocent lives, but at destroying Thailand's economy and tourism

industry.

Now the country's currency slipped to a six-year low today.

At least 22 people were killed and 120 wounded in the attack, many of them were tourists, including some from China, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

And the site of the blast remains blocked off for security reasons, but many people stopped near the scene, some leaving flowers, others

praying and crying.

Now CNN's Asia-Pacific editor Andrew Stevens is in Bangkok. He filed this report. And just a warning, you may find some of the scenes hard to

watch.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDREW STEVENS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This morning, Thai officials are on the hunt for this man they believe could be

connected to the bomb that ripped through central Bangkok. Images show his backpack, seen here, was on before the blast, but not after.

Newly-released cell phone video captures the chaotic scene during evening rush hour on Monday. Unsuspected tourists and locals walked along a

popular foot bridge before the sudden explosion below.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I get up on the sky walk. And that's when I hear this huge explosion. I see, like, bodies everywhere and cars on fire.

STEVENS: People waiting in traffic captured the bomb going off in front of them. Smoke and embers filled the air. Surveillance video

capturing the large and deadly blast lighting up the night sky.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw about five different ambulances screaming away from the scene. I saw there were hundreds of meds, police, fire

brigade.

STEVENS: The bomb claiming more than 20 lives and injuring over 100. Local police believe this was a, quote, deliberate act of terror, quote,

targeting a Hindu shrine, a major tourist attraction in Thailand, also near a large shopping mall.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's an attack on a touristic site. It tells me that this group wants to hit at the economy, do a lot of damage, especially

if there's a follow-on.

STEVENS: Thai officials telling the state-run news agency, they did see the warning of possible attacks, but no specifics.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Andrew Stevens, he joins us now live from Bangkok. And Andrew, this brutal attack, it took the lives of at least 22 people. It

also wounded over 120, I mean, such a high number. How are they being treated? How are they doing?

STEVENS: They're being treated mainly at the police general hospital which is right next to the Earawan shrine, so that was fortunate in a way

that the more badly injured could get relief and help immediately, Kristie.

And others have been sent to other hospitals around the city.

As you say, 22 people dead at this stage. The youngest is an injured young Chinese child just 5-5-five-years-old who was here on a trip.

I mean, the government keeps coming back to this line about how tourists were deliberately targeted by the bombers.

There is now a suspect that's still very much waiting for a motive. We don't -- no one is clear exactly why -- what do they want to achieve by

doing this? What is the reason behind this, Kristie.

And also I've just come back from the scene down there, the bomb site. And more and more people are arriving with armfuls of flowers, red roses,

and handing out single red roses to compatriots who are gathering there to pay their last respects. And also to mourn, to grieve together this

terrible attack, Kristie

[08:05:21] LU STOUT: Yeah, moving scenes there at the shrine and just utterly heartbreaking hearing of the victims, especially the child victims

of this terrible attack.

Let's talk about the investigation, Andrew. Thai police, they're focusing on finding the man spotted on surveillance video. Could you tell

us about that front in the investigation?

STEVENS: Well, what we know so far is that the language has changed quite significantly over the past 12 hours or so. It started off with

police seeking a man in connection with the bombing there. They're now saying very clearly they have a suspect.

CCTV showing a man in a bright yellow shirt wearing dark-rimmed glasses and wearing a backpack going into the shrine area and very

carefully, deliberately taking that backpack off and then leaving the shrine without the backpack.

Don't know what the nationality of this person is at the moment. The authorities here, police, are telling us that it's too early to make any

sort of ideas on who it could be. But certainly they have zeroed in on this one suspect.

And they'd still have their work cut out for them. They're looking at CCTV going back for two weeks around the shrine to see if they can spot any

usual occurrences there. And they're also taking in video and still images from people from the public who were around the area at the time. There's

a lot of video on social media, online at the moment, showing what had happened. So the police are sifting through that as well.

And of course, looking for physical evidence at the site, Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right. Andrew Stevens reporting live from Bangkok. Many thanks indeed for that update.

Thousands of people in China, they are paying tribute to the victims of last week's chemical explosions in the port city of Tianjin. At least

114 people were killed, 57 are still missing, most of them firefighters.

Now meanwhile, Beijing is ramping up its investigation. In fact, state media reports that there are now ten people in custody in connection

with the disaster. And they are all senior executives of the company whose chemical warehouse exploded.

Now separately, we have received word that China's top work safety regulator and former vice mayor of Tianjin is now under investigation for

what state media says is a severe violation of discipline and law.

Will Ripley is following all of the developments in Tianjin.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONENT: The environmental consequences here in Tianjin are staggering. And this can help you put it in perspective.

These are apartments where thousands of people are supposed to be moving in in less than two months, but within site of them you find things like this.

This is a barrel of chemicals, an unknown chemical, propelled from the explosion late Wednesday, a chemical that has a reaction to the rain water

causing white steam to come up. And we've seen this stuff lying all over here along with other chemicals.

In fact, we saw hazardous materials crews out trying to clean up as much as they can.

But it just underscores residents' concerns about the environmental impact.

The Chinese government took us along today and showed us one of their environmental quality monitoring stations where they're testing the air and

the soil and the water. But for residents who have homes near the blast zone, they say those assurances that all levels are testing normally, it's

just not good enough for them. They have very serious concerns about the long-term health consequences for them, and especially for those who have

children.

Meanwhile, the Chinese government is promising to crack down on whoever is responsible for this given the magnitude of destruction.

Look at that, a good portion of Tianjin's bus fleet has been wiped out.

And now we're learning that ten top executives with Ryuhei International. This is the shipping and logistics company that owned the

warehouse at the center of this explosion. They were bringing in chemicals, storing them, and then distributing them throughout China. And

now there are accusations that these chemicals were being stored in perhaps illegal quantities and that not all information was being revealed to he

proper authorities.

Possible charges could include abuse of power and criminal negligence, this as today marks the seventh day since the explosion. And in Chinese

tradition, it is a time for the families of the 114 at least confirmed dead and the dozens more who are missing to stop and pay condolences to those

who have been lost.

Will Ripley, CNN, Tianjin, China.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Police in Bangladesh have arrested three suspects in connection with the killings of two prominent bloggers. Police say the men

belong to the same hard line Islamic group known as Ansar Bangla (ph). One of the suspects is a British citizens.

Investigators believe that he was the mastermind of the attacks.

Now the two bloggers, Avijit Roy, seen here, and Anant Bijoy Das were both hacked to death. They are among four bloggers killed this year in

Bangladesh after posting commentaries critical of Islam.

You're watching News Stream. And coming up next, search crews reach the crash site of that Trigana airplane that went down this weekend. And

details on what has been discovered so far is coming up next.

And U.S. efforts to train and equip Syrian rebels to battle ISIS. CNN speaks exclusively to one of these fighters. Hear what he says about the

reality on the front line.

Plus, a tent city on an idyllic Greek island. Life or the thousands of migrants who are staying there is no vacation. In some cases, worse

than what they had expected.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:12:09] LU STOUT: Welcome back.

You're watching News Stream.

And you're looking at a visual version of all the stories we've got in in the program today.

We've already told you about the investigation in Thailand where authorities are trying to find out who was behind Monday's bombing.

And later, we'll hear from the paramedic who was on the scene just after the blast.

But now to Indonesia where crews are working to recover the bodies of victims from Sunday's Trigana airplane crash.

Now authorities say searchers have found the wreckage as well as the black box. It has also been confirmed that all 54 people on board were

killed.

The aircraft lost contact with controllers on Sunday about 30 minutes after takeoff. And villagers in Papua Province say that they saw it crash

into a mountain.

For more, let's bring in Kathy Quiano. She joins us on the line from Jakarta. And Kathy, we know that the search crews, they have finally

reached the crash site today and they have recovered a very key piece of evidence.

KATHY QUIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kristie. The rescue teams reach the site early this morning and found first of all the 54

bodies of all goes on board this Trigana air (inaudible). They also found later in the day the black box of the plane, which will provide what caused

the crash.

But the main challenge now is how these rescue teams will be able to evacuate those bodies down from this mountain, including the black box that

is needed for the investigation.

There is the (inaudible) who wants the helicopter on standby to help hoist up the bags from the site using long lines, but that has so far been

unsuccessful because of bad weather. Rescue workers are going to spend a second night on the slopes of the mountains (inaudible) clouds and poor

visibility.

Now tomorrow, when they resume operations, the task will be to build (inaudible) and hopefully (inaudible) -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: Yeah, indeed, the next challenge for the search crews is just being able to leave the crash site with the wreckage and also with the

remains.

Now this crash, Kathy, it follows a number of deadly plane crashes in Indonesia this year. How safe are Indonesian airlines?

QUIANO: Well, Kristie, that's a question that many people have been asking here. It is the third major plane crash in eight months here in

Indonesia. You had AirAsia 27501 in December. There was a (inaudible) plane that killed 130 people in June. There are serious questions have

been asked. And in the military (inaudible) has taken stock a bit (inaudible) certain airlines, including AirAsia is safe. They failed to

prove that they have enough equity or funds to ensure the safe operation of their airlines.

Now Trigana Air is not one of those 13 airlines, but it has poor safety record. There will be 15 accidents since 1991.

The Transportation Ministry, we were told, has issued a warning letter to Trigana already for this crash. Particularly is the discrepancies in

the passenger manifest of this plane that crashed on Sunday.

Now it has to be noted, though, that through this particular crash, Trigana Air, it's a small airline that operates in remote areas and islands

that the bigger airlines don't service. It's a very large archipelago with a growing number of air passengers and many think Indonesia has to take

serious steps to ensure safety in the airline industry -- Kristie.

LU STOUT: All right, Kathy Quiano reporting for us. Thank you.

Now, let's turn to Italy where another tragic migrant crossing in the Mediterranean has come to an end. More than 300 migrants who were rescued

at sea arrived in Sicily on Monday. Now a ship also carried the bodies of 49 people who died during the journey.

Now a monitoring group says more than 2,300 migrants have died trying to get from Africa to Europe in 2015, making it the deadliest year on

record. And like Italy, Greece is also experiencing an influx of migrants. Last week alone, more than 20,000 arrived there, that's according to the UN

refugee agency.

Now the island of Kos has been overwhelmed. And the welcome migrants receive there is not always a welcome one.

Atika Shubert reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Dawn breaks on the Greek holiday island of Kos and this is how the visitors arrive, hundreds

on inflatable dinghies from Turkey.

This group of Syrians stumble out on dry land happy to have survived the journey away from their war-torn homeland. They dry their children and

take out the inflatable wings and take photos to send back home. Then they walk past the tent city that extends along the Kos beach front.

"We are from Syria," they announce.

Many of Kos' locals have offered food, water and washing facilities. But this time, overwhelmed by the numbers, residents shout at them to leave

and to register with police.

(SHOUTING)

SHUBERT: This is where they go, the new cruise ship sent in by Greece docked to house and register Syrian refugees. They wait here for hours.

(on camera): One of the families we spoke to is finally aboard the ship. Authorities say it has the capacity for 2500 people. In one day, more

than 1,000 people are on board. But all of the new arrivals have said that Kos is just the doorway to Europe.

(voice-over): This 27-year-old from Damascus wants to study physics in Germany.

FARIS SY, SYRIAN MIGRANT: No one will stay here. Because we know that this country have problem -- economic problem. We just want to go.

SHUBERT: He admits he hoped for better in Greece.

SY: When we was there in Turkey we hope to make it here. For all of us, that was 70 percent of the trip because it's sea and dangerous. But now

after we arrive here and saw what we saw, it's very bad here. We cannot go back. We have to continue.

SHUBERT: For families with children, Kos is a safe and secure place to rest before moving on to places like Germany.

This woman tried to pay for a hotel room for her family but was told there is no space. Even so, she is grateful.

HANNAN RAAD, LEBANESE MIGRANT: The Greek people are very nice and give us many things. So it's for our children, water and some food. Yeah.

SHUBERT: New arrivals to Kos are trying to make the best of it, washing in the sea as tourists lounge in beach chairs nearby. As the sun

sets, tourists return to hotels and migrants camp in the open and watch new arrivals come in the morning, boat after boat, with no signs of stopping.

Atika Shubert, CNN, Kos.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now powerful and sensitive portrait of the migrant experience there.

You're watching News Stream. And still ahead on the program, the U.S. has made a big investment in training Syrian rebels, but only has a small

return to show from it. Now hear from one of those fighters in an exclusive report.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:23:02] LU STOUT: Coming to you live from Hong Kong, you're back watching News Stream.

Now Donald Trump isn't just holding strong, he is gaining steam in the race for U.S. president. A new poll shows that he still leads the

Republican pack. Now Trumps 24 percent is higher than the number he posted last month and well ahead of his closest rival Jeb Bush.

Now Trump took a break from the campaign trail on Monday to report for jury duty in New York, but he was still the center of debate over his first

major policy proposal on immigration and end to birthright citizenship in the U.S.

Now some of his rivals say the plan is unrealistic, but others, such as Scott Walker, say they agree with Trump on the issue.

Now the United States has spent millions to vet and train rebels to fight ISIS in Syria. But so far this program has only produced a handful

of recruits. Now CNN's Nick Paton Walsh interviewed one of these fighters who believes in the mission, but says it's moving too slowly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(EXPLOSION)

NICK PATON WALSH, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is what nearly $1 million worth of pro-American Syrian rebel looks

like. These are the first pictures of the mere 54 moderate fighters the U.S. has painstakingly vetted, trained and equipped with these fancy

weapons. But there aren't nearly enough of them yet to worry ISIS.

(EXPLOSION)

WALSH: In fact, some of them were recently detained by al Qaeda after a firefight leading to claims the $41 million program was a failure.

One of them, Abu Skanda (ph), in Syria is speaking out.

ABU ISKANDER, REBEL FIGHTER (through translation): Nearly 17,000 men wants to join. But the training is slow. We need it to be faster. 30 days

instead of 45 days. More trainees. Our training in Jordan did 85. There should have been 500 there and another 500 in turkey. We are thankful, but

it needs to happen faster.

[08:24:57] WALSH (on camera): These men are an essential part of America's anti-ISIS strategy, inescapably vital. Without allied Syrian

rebels to go on the ground and clear out ISIS, everything else is pretty much pointless. And as of now, inside Syria, there are just about 40 of

them.

(voice-over): Here they are entering Syria recently after training days before being attacked by rebels from the al Qaeda-linked Nusra front.

Some have been released.

And despite the awful start, Abu Iskander is determined to fight on. The Americans follow him, using a GPS on his wrist and in his vest when he

targets airstrikes for them.

ISKANDER (through translation): I go to the front line of ISIS and give locations for the war planes to bomb. We have advanced satellite

location devices to target anyplace on the front line whether we see it or not. There are daily drones. I speak to the Americans every hour, a total

of four hours a day.

WALSH: One hurdle in recruiting for the Pentagon is that their unit is only allowed to fight ISIS...

(SHOUTING)

WALSH: ...not most Syrian rebels' first and worst enemy, the Assad regime. But Abu also insists he will fight the Assad regime.

ISKANDER (through translation): The second rule is that we fight whoever is fighting us. We will take arrows from ISIS and face Assad. Are

we going to sit still and not fight Assad? We will stay in our homes. We don't want to cry on TV. We want Assad regime to be stopped.

WALSH: After the vetting, the confused aims, one thing is clear, his unshakable enthusiasm for the fight against ISIS and the regime that lies

ahead.

Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Gaziantep.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: The Syrian government is accusing a United Nations envoy of bias over its criticism of airstrikes in Douma. The UN special envoy for

Syria released a statement condemning Sunday's strikes on the rebel-held town. And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the strikes killed

as many as 82 people and wounded hundreds.

Now CNN spoke earlier with the UN humanitarian chief Steven O'Brien. And here is what he had to say about ending the prolonged conflict.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

STEPHEN O'BRIEN, UN: There is no military solution to this. There is even not even a humanitarian solution. We can to our best to try and save

the lives and protect the civilians, but almost anything we do is never going to be enough. And I have to plead to all the generous donors that

we, I'm afraid, do need even more. The job is incredibly far from done.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LU STOUT: The UN humanitarian chief there.

You're watching News Stream. And still to come, we'll speak to a paramedic who was one of the first on the scene after Bangkok's deadly bomb

attack.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[08:30:29] LU STOUT: I'm Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong. You're watching News Stream. And these are your world headlines.

Now Thai authorities say that they are looking for one suspect, a man seen in this surveillance footage. They say he may be connected to

Mondays' deadly bombing in Bangkok. At least 22 people were killed, 120 were injured. And the casualties came from several nations, including

China, Malaysia and Singapore. And the UK's foreign office just announced that a British national was among those killed.

Now Chinese state media reports there are now 10 people in custody in connection with the deadly explosions in Tianjin. And they were all senior

executives at the company whose chemical warehouse exploded. Meanwhile, thousand of people are paying tribute today to the victims and to the

missing. At least 114 people were killed and 57 people are still missing.

Now searchers in Indonesia have found the black box from the Trigana air flight that crashed on Sunday. Rescuers on the scene say all 54 people

on board were killed. Efforts to evacuate the bodies have been suspended due to bad weather.

Volatility has again struck China's stock market. It's the Shanghai composite lost more than 6 percent on Tuesday. That is the sharpest one

day drop that the index has seen since July 27.

Now let's return to Bangkok now to hear from an aid worker who was among the first on the bomb scene on Monday. Marko Cunningham is a

paramedic with Bangkok Free Ambulance. He joins us now from the Thai capital via Skype.

Marko, thank you so much for joining us. A lot to get to, including what you experienced last night. But let's talk about today. And what the

people who survived this attack, but are wounded, are going through, because quite a number of people were wounded, over 120. So, what is the

nature of their wounds? Is it broken limbs, lacerations, what can you tell us?

MARKO CUNNINGHAM, PARAMEDIC: Mostly, things like lacerations from fragments of the bomb. Honestly, I haven't had any contact with any of the

injured since they went to hospital today. I've just been hearing meetings, (inaudible) been making plans for future potential bombings, bomb

scenarios. The highlight of last night was finding the second bomb near where we were working for a long period of time, 30, 40 minutes.

LU STOUT: Yeah, I understand there's a lot of concern and the need to stay vigilant, especially in the back of that additional explosion that

happened earlier today. No injuries reported from that. But this is a community certainly reeling in the event of last night and continued, you

know, possibility of more insecurity in the Thai capital.

Let's go back to last night, Marko, if we will. The bomb blast last night was just so deadly. It took over 20 lives. You were there. You were

at the site right after the explosion. Could you take us back and describe the scene?

CUNNINGHAM: When I arrived, the three motorcycles in the middle of the road were just about out. I think they burned themselves out because

they were just crisps. They probably were why people fought that -- the bikes we used for a bomb, but actually the bomb was inside the shrine. And

it's just come to light a few hours ago that they're looking for a suspect who planted a bag there.

Anyway, when I arrived, it was a little bit unearthly quiet because everyone had run away. And only the volunteers were coming in to the area.

And then me and a group of volunteers went actually into the shrine area and it was just total havoc. Everything had been shredded by the bomb,

including the people and the injuries were massive. It was -- I didn't know where to start not only with triage, but when I decided I would work

on a patient, I didn't know where to start. They had so many serious injuries on their body.

I -- because I ride a motorcycle, I have limited supplies and goods. I used all my first aid equipment by the second person. And so I was

waiting for ambulances to come to grab the bags to help other patients. It was...

[08:35:09] LU STOUT: There were so many serious injuries all around you, as you describe it after the bomb blast, it just shredded everything.

The site, the people who were there. So, how did you make that decision on who to help first?

CUNNINGHAM: Honestly, we just -- the first one we came to we were -- helped them. I walked around (inaudible) by seeing people were breathing,

but they all had very, very similar problems -- lacerations and broken bones and things like this. So, we just started from the one side and

worked our way across.

Meantime, volunteers and hospitals and ambulances staff were arriving every minute. So, it quickly filled up only got onto my third patient

before everyone was taken care of really fast. The Bangkok volunteers and the government -- or the government ambulance service and other hospitals

all came in -- we're used to this kind of thing. We've been through bombings and coups and protests almost yearly. So we're really used to

this kind of major event. So...

LU STOUT: As you point out, Marko, you have been through major events before. You were a long-term resident of Bangkok. You've lived in

Thailand for almost 15 years. You've experienced coups and major political clashes. Today, the prime minister called this the worst ever attack on

the country.

And there was that new explosion today in Bangkok. How are you and other residents of Bangkok feeling right now. How are you taking in what

happened?

CUNNINGHAM: For me, it's just another day on the job. But a couple of people today (inaudible) girl said that she wanted to go home to the

city tonight, but she canceled her plans. So, I think definitely is affecting people. And with the second bomb today, I think that pretty much

sealed the deal. People just don't want to go out. It's too dangerous. And I think it will take a week or more for people to calm down again if

nothing else happens in that time.

LU STOUT: Well, Marko, you're an eyewitness to a terrible chapter in history. You're also a paramedic. So thank you for sharing your story

with us. And also thank you for helping this very traumatized community there in Bangkok.

Marko Cunningham joining us live from Bangkok. Thank you and take care.

Now you're watching News Stream. And still ahead on the program, we focus in on Jeff Bezos. He fires back after that scathing report on his

company Amazon and what it's really like to work there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now one of the biggest and most popular online retailers apparently isn't too popular with some current and former employees. A New York Times

report quotes former Amazon workers that saying it is simply a ruthless environment. But Amazon is fighting back.

Kyung Lah, has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

[08:40:03] KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Amazon shipping whatever wherever with an effortless click of your finger. But some 100

current and former employees claim it's not so magical for Amazon's white collar employees, describing to "The New York Times" a cut-throat, dog eat

dog workplace, pushing out workers viewed as weak for getting cancer or having children. A former employee quoting to the "Times" a saying around

Amazon campus, "Amazon is where overachievers go to feel bad about themselves." People claiming to be ex-employees reacted and commiserated

across social media.

On Reddit, one claiming to be an ex-Amazon employee writes, "When I went to the bathroom, I would hear at least one person crying at least once

a day. There are thousands of us in Seattle alone."

On glassdoor.com, a networking site where employees review companies, Amazon's positive reviews carried this concern, "Advice to management:

remember that the employees are people and not machines."

Amazon's own produced videos called "Inside Amazon" showcase employees who call the job challenging and cutting edge, but --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You either fit here or you don't. You love it or you don't. There's no middle ground really.

JEFF BEZOS, AMAZON CEO: Thank you.

LAH: Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, the driving visionary behind online retailer's seismic success, responded to The New York Times article in an

e-mail to his more than 100,000 employees writing, "I don't recognize this Amazon." Adding Amazon would not tolerate callous workplace behavior.

But tech analysts say this behavior has been around at Amazon for years and, frankly, other start-ups. John Sullivan advises Fortune 500

companies and has studied Amazon for a decade.

PROF. JOHN SULLIVAN, MANAGEMENT ADVISOR: Oh, wow, they're startled, because they live in a different world. You have to be first like an eBay,

like an Amazon, you have to have these kind of people. And I would say shame on them if they were surprised.

LAH: Kyung Lah, CNN, Los Angeles

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Now, some Amazon employees are fighting back against the accusations. In fact, one employee posted this article to LinkedIn

defending the company. And others in the tech world are also voicing support. The Silicon Valley venture capitalist Mark Endrison (ph) tweeted,

quote, "I have talked with hundreds of Amazon vets, men and women, over 20 years. Not one didn't think it's a good place to work."

And in the first of five messages on the topic, venture capital investors Josh Ellman (ph) made the case that, quote, "most companies that

are rushing to create something big, bold and new for the world have intense cultures."

And Twitter CEO Dick Costolo questioned the New York Times article's accuracy, tweeting this, "it is taken out of context stamped all over it."

Their views.

Now that is News Stream. I'm Kristie Lu Stout. But don't go anywhere. World Sport with Christina Macfarlane is next.

END