Freeman has been exposed to political activism most of his life. His father, His father was a prominent student activist going back to 1962 when the Military Regime instigated a coup and bombed the student union building. His father worked to have arrested MPs released and returned to their parliamentary seat. He was also involved with important events such as former UN Secretary General U Thant’s funeral in 1974 and 100th birthday party, in 1975 of Thakhin Kodaw Mhine a popular poet and activist. Both events were violently suppressed by the military regime. His father was arrested twice for his activities. Freeman’s father taught him about activism and the real situation in Burma.
Freeman was elected class president of his high school. He then began university in 1985. He organised pro-democracy discussions amongst his friends. He would speak out to different classes in his university on the importance of the pro-democracy movement and inspire other students to participate in pro-democracy activities. Freeman was not affiliated with one particular student group, rather he was an independent activist that collected information and coordinated all the various groups. Following the 1988 crackdown and the ensuing chaos amongst student groups,Freeman helped to re-organise and re-form the student organisations. As a prominent leader he helped to develop a common policy position for all the different organisations, therefore making all the groups more united and stronger in their activism.
Freeman was arrested in 1989, along with 25 other activists. He was taken to Military Intelligence camp No. 7 for the first 18 days and then Insein prison. He was interrogated for one and half months, where he was treated very badly. In total Freeman was detained without trial for 3 and half months. A special Court Martial no. 5 sentenced him 8 years in prison. Whilst in prison Aung Myo Thein suffered pain in his joints and limbs, but was never properly examined by a doctor. Some of his imprisonment was shared with Ko Bo Kyi and Aung Kyaw Oo, where they lived in the same cell block.
One day after his release on 12 December 1995, he visited the home of Daw Aung Su Kyi and described prison conditions and state of political prisoners. Freeman continued to support and advise pro-democracy activists. He also established a secret network to share information. Former political prisoners were another focus of Freeman who gave vocational education and health assistance. During 2007, he supported the 88 Generation student groups by providing information secretly.
After the Saffron Revolution in September 2007, Freeman wanted to do more to help the pro-democracy movement. His father suggested that he go to Mae Sot, where he felt he could be more effective in human rights protection and pro-democracy. Freeman joined AAPP in January 2008. He works as the I.T. specialist and on international advocacy. He has travelled to Indonesia on the Free Political Prisoners Now! Campaign, and has participated in a study trip of 5 leading Burmese activists to the Czech Republic organised by People In Need in September 2008.
There are over 2,100 political prisoners languishing in prisons all over Burma. This is a united global campaign working with over a hundred groups from around the globe. The petition to secure the release of all political prisoners in Burma, as the essential first step towards democracy in the country.