An Acehnese love ballad that goes, "Voices flowing from the open doors, a lady pouring out her aching heart", is a favorite of Major-General Thanongsuk Tuvinun of Thailand. The general is a fast learner. Just five months into his assignment as head of the Joint Security Committee (JSC) in troubled Aceh, he can already sing quite a few local songs. He was singing the Babah Pinto, when he met with Yuswardi Ali Suud of TEMPO, last Thursday at hi