After preaching for a while in Singapore and in Kuala Lumpur, Malaya (now part of Malaysia), Frank packed his belongings, bought a ticket, and with five dollars left in his pocket, boarded the train headed for Bangkok, where he arrived on July 22, 1936.
... In September 1939, while preaching in Penang, Malaya, Kurt Gruber was told by a friendly police official that Great Britain had declared war on Germany and that all German nationals found in British territories would be interned for the duration of the war.