KATHMANDU, March 19 (Reuters) - A Nepali business lobby group called on shops, traders and industries across the Himalayan nation on Monday to close down indefinitely in protest against the beating and intimidation of businessmen by Maoist activists.

The move came a day after Maoists were suspected of beating up an owner of a hotel in the heart of the Nepali capital, Kathmandu, for refusing to give them money.

The feared former guerrillas, who signed a landmark peace deal with the government in November and joined an interim parliament, have been collecting what they call "voluntary donations" since the peace process began in May last year.

The Maoists say the money is to help fund their party but human rights groups have accused them of extortion, intimidation and kidnapping despite the peace deal which ended a decade-old conflict that killed more than 13,000 people.

In Kathmandu, shops that had opened in the morning downed their shutters on Monday afternoon in response to the strike called by the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industries.

"We cannot run businesses in the absence of security," Chandi Raj Dhakal, the federation president, told reporters. "The government must end Maoist intimidation and provide the businesses with security."

Internet service providers blocked Web access to thousands of users for one hour in response to the strike, said Ratna Poudel, an engineer with SUBISU, a leading network provider.

Many industries and businesses either closed or scaled down their activities due to the Maoist threat.

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