In western Nepal, Maoists kidnapped some 400 merchants. The Maoists want the businessmen to form a pro-Maoist merchants associations, and pay regular taxes to the Maoists. The merchants must do this or be killed. The Maoists are doing this on a large scale in order to terrorize people, especially business owners, throughout the country. The Maoists are able to do this because the police in Nepal are thin on the ground, so a few dozen armed Maoists can march, or drive (in a truck or several stolen cars) into an area and do what they want before the cops eventually show up.