Lt Col Kraisorn Boonprasop of the Thalang Police was called to the scene by local villages in the area, Moo 7, Srisoonthorn, at about 6:40am.
Officers arrived along with Kusolharm Foundation rescue workers, a medical team from Vachira Phuket Hospital and forensic police to find the man hanged by a nylon cord tied to a branch several metres above the ground.
The man, of Asian features, was about 30-35 years old and about 160cm tall.
He had a large tattoo of a koi fish on his back, near the right shoulder.
Officers found no wounds or bruises on the body indicating that the man had been in any altercation.
The man was dressed in a long-sleeved white shirt with black stripes, military camouflage pants, and a black belt, but no shoes.
In the right pocket of his trousers was an envelope containing two small bags of crystal methamphetamine (ya ice).
They did not find any form of identification.
Police believe he died at least six hours before his body was found.
Supanee Kongkaew, 65, explained to police that she was foraging for mushrooms under trees when she found the body at 5am.
She noticed the shape of something unfamiliar in the darkness and walked closer to see what it was, to discover the man hanged from the tree.
Shocked, she rushed to inform her neighbours and the village headman.
Still visibly upset by the discovery, Ms Supanee said that “this type of thing doesn’t happen in this area”.
The village headman said investigators at the scene were not sure whether the man was a foreigner or Thai.
The man is believed to have been living nearby as no motorcycles were left parked near in the area and the man was not wearing shoes, leading officers to believe he had walked to the scene, he said.
Also, the man would have had to have known the area, in order to avoid construction workers living nearby.