[Light Speed]

Your assessment makes sense.
U.S. citizens and others had been bailing out all over the region.
After Japans rampage thru Northern China and other operations post 1935 notifications were sent out to U.S. Consulates with directives to assist the extracation of U.S. Citizens.
Large numbers of Chinese with wealth showed up in the Phillipines and other locals...word spread of what terror Japan was capable of.
So many people were on the move...only to wind up captured by the Japanese in distant places.
Whats tragic..is the profit made by those who exploit such situations of chaos...here..there is more to the story.

[capitan_refugio]

Your additional information provides more insight. Sounds a little bit like the Manila version of "Casablanca"!